Volunteer
by roseone223
Summary: I never asked for this. For any of this. I could have stayed where I was. I could have kept my mouth shut. But here I am. I might as well make the best of it and get her back to her sister. No matter what.
1. Morning Work

**A/N: This character might seem familiar. Chocolatiee is writing an amazing fic using the same character. I gave her the character to do whatever they wants to do with him. I didn't really care about him at first but I've gotten a little attached to him. The characters are rather different. This is the original him before I had to edit him for Chocolatiee's fic.  
And I don't own The Hunger Games. I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you if I did.**

I wake up on instinct alone. The sun is still far below the horizon but I'm up in an instant, pulling on a ragged shirt. I move as silently as I can, glancing over at the mattress where my sisters sleep in a pile. They will wake up in an hour to head over to the orchards. I have to hurry to make sure I'm not late to the fields or who knows what would happen. I pull on my boots at the door when a voice behind me startles me.

"Take this with you." it's my mother's voice. I turn as she walks towards me, wrapped in a tattered rag that serves as a blanket. She holds out a piece of apple to me, smiling wearily.

"I'm not hungry. You let the girls have it." I tell her quietly, praying that my stomach won't growl in the silence that follows. It doesn't, although she shakes her head, her smile disappearing.

"Just promise that you'll eat before the Reaping." she sighs, putting a hand on her hip. I know that I don't have a choice. My mother is the only one that can make me sit down and do what she says. I sigh and nod silently, knowing that I'll probably eat a little soup and give the rest to my sisters. She sighs again and shoos me out the door, muttering about me being late again. I jog down the road, the chilled air nipping at my skin. I pass by still houses as I go. The fields are up ahead. I speed up as I see only one plow sitting unused. That will be mine. I'm running full speed now, covering three yards in one stride. I pull one of the straps over my shoulder without stopping. The machine clatters after me as I try to make it down to my plow area before the Peacekeeper notices.

The plow itself is a strange mix between a wagon and an old drag plow. It has blades on the bottom that can be raised and lowered so that the cart can be moved without plowing up everything around it. They're all old and creaky. Several fall apart every time we use them but they never get replaced, only patched back together. They don't have brakes either. The best way to stop them is hope that it doesn't break something when it slams into you or something else solid.

"Haliss." the voice calls and I know I'm caught. I slid to a halt, the plow slamming into my back. I ignore it as I drop the strap and walk slowly back up to the office. The Peacekeeper frowns at me as I approach. I drop my eyes to the ground and stand in front of him. He's almost a foot shorter than me and chubby. I could take him out with one swipe. The only thing that keeps him in control is the gun strapped to his belt. "This is the second time this week that you've been late." the man states, matter-of-factly. I nod silently, hoping that he can't see the fear on my face. "I want you to come in early tomorrow and stay late so that you can make up for it. Next time, it will be a public whipping. Do you understand?" he tells me, looking down at his clipboard. I nod again. He glances up, "Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." I say quietly. I hate this. I hate being treated like a stupid animal. I'm not stupid. I probably have more brains than this idiot. But I can see my family. My sisters and my mother would starve if I was stupid enough to speak my mind. I would be shot on sight. So I keep my mouth shut, if only for my sisters.

"Get to work, cow." he growls, shoving me towards the plow. I have to swallow back my words as I stumble towards the machinery. I pull on both straps and start slowly towards my section.

The fields are split into sections. Each section grows a crop. In the section, you have a certain sixty-by-sixty foot plot of dirt that only you work on. You stay with that area your whole life. You plow the ground, sow the seeds, pull up the weeds, water the crops, and reap the harvest. You're paid by how well your crops grow and even get to keep a small percentage of the crop once harvest is over. That's why all of the houses are spread throughout the fields. We from the fields are out here working whenever we can to make enough to support our families. My friend, Ryven, works in the plot next to mine. She's one of the strongest girls I know and the only one that works the fields in this section. We grow wheat in our section. I took over the plot that my father worked on when I was little. He doesn't have much use for it now anyway. When I reach my plot, Ryven is sitting on the edge of her plow, sipping from her water bottle.

"Here he comes!" she laughs, holding her bottle up in a salute, "Morning, sleepyhead! Don't tell me you forgot that today was the Reapings?" she laughs even harder, her black eyes dancing. The men around us stop to chuckle quietly. They've been working their plots for longer than I've been born. I always apologize for Ryven's wild antics but they just shrug it off. I finally asked Stalk about it. He's the oldest of all of them, with fifty years of work put into his area. He said that everyone needs to laugh now and then. It was hard at first to concentrate on anything but working for my sisters. Ryven was the one that taught me to smile again and just be happy I'm alive for another day. She takes care of her seven younger siblings alone. Like I said, one of the strongest girls I've ever known.

"Hey Ry." I grin at her even though I'm still fuming at that Peacekeeper, "Don't you have to actually work some?" I ask as I stop at the corner of my plot. I have to go over it one more time for it to be ready for sowing in a couple of days.

"Already done. I just wanted to see if you would show up." she grins at me, putting her bottle up and tying her long black hair back away from her neck.

"I swear, if I could get out of here, I'd already be gone. Our house would be empty." I tell her as I lower the blades of the plow to the ground. I pull the straps tighter around my shoulders and lean against it. It slowly begins to move, tearing up the earth. I pump my legs harder, knowing that once it gets going, it will be easier. I finish in short puffs between pulls, "And…so…would…yours…" it finally breaks in and I can breath easier. I still have to strain against the straps to move forward. Ryven sits silent as she stares out at the other workers.

"Silent. That's a change." I chuckle as I pass her. She says nothing as she moves to lift the blades on her plow.

"I'll see you at the Reaping." she yells after me as she heads for the main building where the plows are stored. I watch her go, still pulling my plow. Her hair sways in time with her movement. I can still see the times when we would race through the fields. Her hair flew behind her like her a pair of wings. I always thought she would take off at any second. I turn the corner and she's out of sight. It's strange. Every time I tell her about leaving, she laughs at me, calls me a dreamer. Something must be bothering her. I turn the next corner and I can see that she's already up at the main building. Someone's with her. I can't tell who it is but I can see the white coat of a Peacekeeper. I see her flinch away, trying to back up but the straps keep her from moving. The Peacekeeper moves closer, she's trying to move the plow sideways as she tries to get away. I'm suddenly half-way to the main building. I can see now. She's on the ground yelling at the man. He's reaching towards her, growling something.

"Leave her alone." I tower over him. I can see now that he's the Head Peacekeeper. I'm in it now. He's glaring at me, his hand moving towards his gun. I grab it before he does, pointing it at his face. I look down at Ryven, her eyes wide in terror. My heart is racing. '_I'm so dead. This is it. They're going to kill me.'_ I think as I shake, the gun clanking in my hand as I tremble.

"Ha ha." the Peacekeeper laughs, "You got guts kid." he smiles at me. I back up a little. I don't understand. He's not calling the others. What's going on? "Just give it back, I'll leave, and we won't mention this to anyone." he holds his hand out calmly, waiting for me to give the gun back.

"W-What where you doing to Ry." I demand, trying to keep my breathing steady and my words calm. I know I'm failing.

"I just wanted to talk to her." is all he says.

"You're lying!" I yell. My hands have stopped shaking. I look him in the eye, my face hardening. His eyebrows come together as he watches me. He knows that I won't give an inch.

"You're right. I am." he chuckles, his face going soft as he smiles, "I just wanted to see my children." he says evenly.

'_His children.'_ it takes me back. After her father died, her mother had no way to take care of all of the children. That was Ryven and her four little sisters. Rumors circled that her mother turned to prostitution to feed her children, winding up with a few extras along the way. I can still see her face. It was kind but weathered, like she had lived for hundreds of years. More than anything, she loved her children. Even the last three that she had out of wedlock. She never turned them away. She always took care of them. Even if she had to starve herself, she always made sure that they could survive. She had died three years ago from a disease that even Vende, the town healer, couldn't stop. Ryven was eleven when she became a mother to them. A click from behind me pulls me from my thoughts.

"Krow." Ryven's voice is quiet and resigned, "It's ok." she tells me. I lower the gun and hand it to the Peacekeeper. He smirks and waves as he walks away. I feel my legs give way beneath me as the ground slams into my knees. "Krow!" her voice is suddenly frantic.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." I tell her breathlessly. I sit for a moment, leaning against the wheel of her plow.

"You didn't eat, did you?" she scolds me, leaning down to press her hand against my forehead, "You're not going to be any use to your family if you're too weak to work."

"I'm fine. Just a worn out after running up here to help you." I push myself up and smirk down at her.

"I didn't need your help." she sticks her tongue out at me. The plow clatters to life as she stomps off. I have to jump out of the way so that she doesn't run over my foot. I laugh as she goes.

"Don't throw a fit, princess!" I call after her. She stops and looks back at me.

"Princess? Princess!? I'LL SHOW YOU A PRINCESS!" she jumps towards me, slamming her foot into my shin.

"OW!" I scream, jumping on my good leg as I hold my shin. It's not funny anymore but I can't stop my laughter. Her face turns even redder. She shoves me over backwards and I tumble down towards the fields, still laughing my head off. I can't see her anymore but I can hear the plow clatter away, telling me that she's head up to the main building. I limp back down to my plow, still smiling, an occasional laugh slipping out. Once I get down to my plot, I finally see what the others have done while I was fighting with Ryven. My plot is almost completely plowed. The other men from the plots around Ryven and me are working in teams to finish it. "W-What's going on?" I ask Stalk, who's sitting on my plow, watching the others.

"We saw what you did." he smirked, his wrinkled face crinkling across his cheeks.

"What?" I tilt my head to the side. The sun is just beginning to peak over the horizon behind him, giving him a bright orange halo.

"Standing up to that Peacekeeper to help Ryven." he explains, "She's like a daughter to all of us. We don't want anything to happen to her. Ever." his smile reaches his eyes as they crinkle, "This is how we say thank you." he lets out a raspy laugh.

"You didn't have to do this!" I explain quickly. They're wasting their time and energy on me. I can handle plowing my plot. I wave my hands in front of me, trying to stop them. One of the men, Tream, laughs as he passes. He was best friends with Ryven's father when they were boys. His long brown hair circles his head in a mane and his golden eyes could bore into your soul. He would come by and check on us when we were young.

"Calm down, boy." he calls, "It won't happen again." he puffs as he tears up the dirt. I sigh and sit down to lean against the wheel of my plow. Stalk chuckles and hands down a bottle. I take it; it isn't mine so it must be his water bottle. I take a chug of it and fire runs down my throat. I sputter and spit it out, burning more on the way up than on the way down. I cough, my head between my knees as I try to get the taste out of my mouth. I think I'm going to throw-up. I hear Stalk laughing his head off above me. I should have known that he wouldn't give me water. I scold myself for being so stupid.

"That's it!" a tall dark-skinned man calls from the other side. The others cheer with him. I pull myself up onto shaky legs. The others raise the plow blades and start towards the main building. It's like every other day. We all go back together. Several of the men laugh and walk side-by-side, joking about this or that. They've done this since they were young. It's just a normal day for them. My mind is drawn back to the Reapings. I frown, thinking of how this is Hather's second year to be in the drawing. She's been luck so far. So have Ryven and I. I stopped counting the slips with my name two years ago. She never started. Our names must be in those bowls three dozen times or more. It's my fourth year. Her third. This will be her younger twin sisters' first year to be in the drawing. I know that she's terrified that they'll be chosen. I try to tell her that it will be fine but she's been worried since they finished the Reapings last year. That must be why she was so solemn this morning. I have to track her down after I go and get my sisters. I fall into line with the other workers from section W-32. Stalk keeps pace with me even though he's old enough to be my grandfather. He is still grinning from the bottle incident. I roll my eyes, sighing and move away from him. That only earns me an extra laugh and some chuckles from the other men.

"Guess you're not so much like your father as I though." Tream calls back to me.

"Leave the kid alone." Stalk waves them off, "He's only fifteen. He'll get a taste for it after he gets older." he laughs, "Let him reach puberty first!" This gains whole-hearted laughs from the entire group. I drift a little farther away, trying to hold back a blush. They fall silent as we pass the Peacekeeper's office. A few chuckle as they walk, suppressing their howls. We reach the main building where we keep the plows. Ryven is standing at the door, waiting. I stop as the other funnel in, casting glances back at us. She crosses her arms and waits for them to go inside.

"Did you want to talk to me or the Head?" I ask, refusing to back down.

The Head. That's what we call the Head Peacekeeper. No one seems to remember his name. I've heard that he was born in District 11 but I don't think so. He doesn't have any family and no one talks to him like he's an old friend. I don't really understand. He's probably just from the Capital like all the others.

"You." Ry doesn't look at me. She's glaring at the office. I turn and can see the Head leaving.

"Is that really true?" I question, watching his eyes drift over to us, "Is he really their father?" She turns on her heel, stomping away. I frown, feeling a little bad for making her mad, but I have to know. Her mother and mine worked together to survive so I was providing for them. I feel like they're my sisters too. I have to know the truth.

"Don't push her. She'll come around eventually." the voice behind me makes me jump almost a foot off the ground. Tream's there with Stalk at his side. It was Stalk that spoke.

"It's stupid to get you kids mixed up in all of this stuff from our time." Tream shakes his mane as he frowns.

"What?" I try to understand. He shakes his head at me and wanders off to where the others are waiting for him.

"Better put your plow up. You still gotta go get cleaned up." Stalk reminds me. I nod and hurry into the main building. I walk over to the open spot where my plow goes, right between Stalk and Ryven's. I let out a long sigh as I stare out the only window. It sits near the top of the building, letting in a single ray of light from the sunrise. I stand in the warmth as I close my eyes and relax. Everything is so normal, but so different. I send up a silent prayer for everyone that I don't want to be drawn; Ryven, myself, Hather, Amelia, Amilyn, and Shrike. I think that's everyone. No wait. This is the first year for Shrike's little brother. What is his name? Jay? I think that's it. Watch out for Jay too. The sound of more plows knocks me back to reality. Another section is coming in. I get out of their way and wander to the door. I turn towards the orchards to pick up my sisters.

I have three little sisters. The youngest is Vende. She's nine today. Our mother named her after the district healer. She has shoulder-length black hair and a mismatched pair of eyes. The left one is green and the right one is blue. No one in our family has ever green eyes, but the older lady, Vende, has beautiful green eyes. People say that one day she will take Vende's place. She probably will. She knows so much. Vende even teaches her some when they both have time. The next is Kerin. She's ten and a half, as she keeps reminding me. She's small and light, working in the tops of the orchard trees. Her hair is long, reaching down to her knees, and light brown with black highlights. Her eyes are brown and wander easily. She spends most of her time daydreaming. Then the oldest is Hather, only thirteen. Her black hair reaches her mid-back. Her blue eyes are knowing even though she's so young. She's shorter and lighter than me but she is almost as strong. She looks up to Ryven. I'm sure that one day she'll have her own plot. Then there's me. I have my father's straw blond hair that sticks out in all directions no matter what I do. I have his brown eyes too. And a scar on my forearm from 'the accident'. I don't like to think about it even though I live with the daily reminder.

All three of the girls are working hard when I arrive. Hather is standing at the base of a tree, catching apples as they fall down to her. Vende is walking up and down a branch, dropping the fruit down to Hather. Her mind is somewhere else. I can tell. Kerin skips from one branch to another before she jumps into nothingness. My heart skips a beat and I take a step forward. The branch shutters as she lands five feet below where she had been standing. I hate it when she does that.

I scan the other trees. She should be here somewhere. Finally I see her, down at the end. Her black hair shines in the early light. A smile stretches on her face, flashing perfect white teeth. The sunlight reflects off her beautiful golden eyes and makes my heart melt. I feel the smile as I stare. She's perfect and beautiful and amazing. That's Shrike Jenks. Someday, she's going to be Shrike Haliss. I can already see it. I love her with all my heart.

"Wake up!" Hather demands, snapping her fingers in front of my face. I jump and glare down at her.

"I am." I tell her, indignantly. She smirks at me, glancing over at Shrike. I can feel the blush that creeps onto my face. I fight it back as Kerin wanders over. Vende whistles a four-note tune that the work is over. The mockingjays quickly spread the news. She giggles as she jumps down.

"Sing it, Kerin! You have to sing it!" she jumps up and down, pulling at her older sister's arm. Kerin gives her a weary smile and takes a deep breath before singing her tune.

"_Little bird calls,_

_Working is over._

_Night soon will fall_

_They sigh in the clover._

_Sleep little children_

_Sleep well tonight._

_We will begin again,_

_At tomorrow's first light."_

I've always known that Kerin has a beautiful singing voice, but it always gets to me when I hear her. She's more bird that human, sometimes. A mockingjay lands on her shoulder and opens its mouth to sing. At first, it's just the notes, like always, but as others pick up the song, it rises and falls. You can almost make out the words in it. That's when I hear it. Kerin's voice, singing in the mass. Our own personal jabberjay. Yes, they are extinct, but somehow this one is more jabberjay than mockingbird. It can still copy words. We still don't know how, after all these generations, it retains this ability. But it's there. It sits on the branch above us, alone. The mockingjays refuse to go near it. It's sad almost, but it doesn't seem to mind. It sings out with all its heart. Even when the mockingjays stop singing and fly away, it stays behind, singing its song to anyone who will listen. Vende stand and listens, humming along for what seems like an eternity. It isn't until Shrike walks by that I realize that this is still District 11. I nod to her as she passes but she never even looks my way. Rejected. Again.

Shrike's family is well-off. She doesn't have to work in the orchard if she doesn't want to, but she does anyway. She's always helping out. She's caring and hard-working and kind. I feel my heart melt again, my stomach doing flips.

"Come on, lover boy. We have to get washed up before the Reapings and Mom is still mad about you not eating this morning." Hather scolds me. I shrug innocently and start off to the house, picking up Vende to carry her on my shoulders. She laughs, waving around wildly like she's the President of Panem. Hather rolls her eyes but smiles as she walks beside us. Even Kerin smirks as she walks along, the jabberjay now perched on her shoulder, singing back her songs as she goes through them. We walk along with only Kerin's music breaking the silence. I can tell that Vende is asleep by the weight leaning forward on my head. I smile as we reach the house. She's so tiny, even for a nine year old. I hold her in my arms like an infant as we walk through the door. Mom's making a soup with the last of the herbs. I put Vende in the next room on the mattress so that she can sleep while the rest of up go to clean up.

The stream that runs behind our houses is used to water the fields, but that doesn't mean it can't be used for other things. Everyone washes up on the same day, that way no one is drinking filthy water. Otherwise, you have to get up early to get clean water. Most people just keep barrels of water for cooking and such. This is also where we do our laundry, sometimes both at the same time. The water is always cold in the morning and wakes you up immediately. I don't take off my underclothes until I'm submerged in the murky water. I swim to the opposite bank so that the girls don't complain about me seeing them nude. I don't see why it matters. They're my little sisters. I saw them naked several times when they were young. But they insist so now I just do it out of habit. I soak in the water for a long time, clearing my head. This hasn't been different from any other Reaping, but something feels strange. It must just be the lack of sleep. That's all. I scrub quickly and grab my underclothes, slipping them back on before I swim back over to where my clothes are. I grab them and run for the house. The people around don't even seem to notice. Everyone has either seen you nude or in nothing but underclothes. So long as a couple doesn't go to far in the stream, no one cares. I shake the extra water from my straw blond hair before I go inside, even though I'm still dripping. I wander back to the back room and dress quickly in clean underclothes and the best looking outfit I can find. The long white sleeves are puffy and the pants are a little too long, but I've worn it since my first Reaping. I've grown a lot but not quite enough. These where my father's clothes. I've made sure that they stay clean and well taken care of. The girls filter in and I take my cue to leave. They will spend the next hour getting dress and putting up their hair.

Mom's soup is almost done. I can smell it. I sit at the table and rub my eyes, still worn from everything that's happened so far today. Mom looks up from the fire and hands me an apple slice. I take it this time. No use in letting it go to waste. I get up and walk outside, taking a bite out of it as I go. There has to be something that I can do. A familiar smell draws me down the street, away from the fields.

The meadow is a welcome relieve from the fields that stretch throughout the district. It's where people get their herbs and little girls gather wildflowers. Sometimes, boys will even come here to get flowers for the girl they like. I wander through the meadow, lost in memories. I head for an old brier patch that no one goes near. Right inside it sits a large lavender bush. Hather loves lavender. I push up my sleeve and reach in carefully, snapping off a piece. I inhale the scent deeply and it takes me back into my memories. My father always got my mother lavender for her to wear in her hair. I smile at the irony that now I'm getting it for my little sister.

"Hello, Lavender Boy." the voice almost sends me sprawling into the thorn bush. A lithe hand plucks the leaves away, sniffing them. I turn on the intruder, crossing my arms defiantly.

"Ryven. Give it back. It's for Hather." I tell her, trying to make myself even taller. She just smirks up at me, standing up straight and making up most of the difference. I still have a couple inches on her.

"Yeah. I know." she hands me back the lavender. I roll it between my thumb and forefinger, releasing more of the smell. "Don't overdo it. You kill us all." she jokingly waves her hand in front of her face. I laugh and shove the lavender in my pocket. We stand and stare at the sun that is climbing higher in the sky. I reach down and pick a single flower. I don't know its name, but I've always thought is was beautiful, like Shrike. It's a soft baby blue flower that fans out in all directions. I glance over at Ry. She's wearing a pure black dress with tiny, sparkling threads woven into it, like the stars in the night sky. I look back down at the flower. Carefully, I break off the extra stem and move to stand with Ry facing me. I slip the flower into her hair, stuck behind her ear. With it there, I can just make out the specks of baby blue in her black eyes. I smile widely at her.

"Cheer up. You're making the flowers cry." I tell her.

She glances away before pulling back. I pull back too, unsure. My smile disappears as she runs full speed from the meadow, her flower falling out and getting left behind. I stand, perplexed for a moment. Did I say something wrong? I try to unscramble my thoughts. I was only trying to cheer her up. I must have done something. I walk slowly back to my house, picking up the flower on the way back. Girls are so complicated.

As a come inside, the girls are setting the table with bowls and spoons. I grin at them and sit down. We eat in silence as I take in their dresses. Both Vende and Kerin's dresses are plain. Vende's is green and Kerin's is cream colored. They won't be in the Reaping so they don't have to worry.

Hather's dress is a lavender colored with a pale white lace around the hem and her elbow length sleeves. It reaches down to just above her knees, showing off her legs. Gold stitching stretches up one side from the bottom, blossoming into a golden wildflower in full bloom. She looks like she's seventeen. I frown, thinking of how fast she matured. Just like Ryven. I knock it out of my mind as we finish the meal. Before I know it, we're heading up to the Reaping. I reach into my pocket and pull out the lavender, handing it to Hather. She bounces on her toes for a moment, wrapping me in a hug. I smile as Vende helps her weave it into her hair. Then we're in the square. I squeeze through the crowd, taking one last look at Hather before she disappears among the Thirteen girls. I only now realize that I'm still clinging to the flower from the meadow. I shove it into my pocket as I reach the Fifteen boys.

I raise my head and send up one more silent prayer. I stand, staring at the sky, as the mayor steps forward to begin the District 11 Reapings for the One Hundred and Thirty Sixth Hunger Games.

**A/N: Congratulations. You just finished the most epic thing I've ever written. The next chapters (if there are more) will be much, much shorter. You're reviews would be much appreciated! PM me or review if something was completely confusing. I don't care if you offer a critical review. It's better to find out I suck now than later!**


	2. Stupid

**A/N: Well, here it is. Only a third as long as the first chapter. My updates won't be this fast more than likely, I just had a couple hours last night. I'd like to thank the people who reviewed! Last time I checked there were two of you! You two rock! This is for you. XD  
Again, I don't own Hunger Games.**

The chill that hung in the air this morning has disappeared with the climbing sun. The packed square makes it even hotter. I shift uncomfortably as the Mayor drones on. He always goes through the same speech. I can say it by heart now. I even mouth along with him.

"District Eleven. The district that feeds Panem. We have the strength to supply an entire nation! And today two of you will be chosen for the honor of representing our district in the Hunger Games!" he pounds at the air as if this is some wonderful thing. It's been seventeen years since that last District Eleven tribute won. We still have no idea how that happened. Before that… Well, the rest of them are dead. Old age and drugs finally took all but Hava. "We have many wins to look back on. I can feel that this is the year District Eleven will come home VICTORIOUS!" he screams that last word as if to make it sink in. The Peacekeepers cheer with him. We all stand silent. He said that last year and then two twelve-year-olds where chosen. We got to watch them die. A career hunted the down and tied their hands behind their backs. Then he made a pair of nooses and slowly pulled them up into a tree. The cameras actually stayed on them while they thrashed for almost an hour. The Capitol must not be doing much if they find it amusing to watch a pair of kids suffocate slowly. The Mayor's speech is over but he stays as long as he can to soak up the praise. He doesn't get much from us. I take advantage of the pause and scan the crowd quickly.

I always make sure to stand near the rope that separates the boys from the girls. That way I can see Shrike. She always stands across from my section, being the same age as I am. This year, she's next to the rope. She stands right across it from me. I feel my heart speed up.

She's dress in a beautiful gold dress. It's strapless, tight around her chest and then flows loosely down to her knees. A bundle of fabric attaches at the top and hangs down, separate from the rest of the dress. Baby blue flowers dance around the hem. The fabric is silky and soft. The smell of apples hangs in the air. It must be from her time in the orchards.

The crowd is shoved in so tight that I'm almost pressed against her. I try to fight back the blush as I look away. I remember the flower in my pocket. It's the same time as the ones on her dress. The urge to give it to her wells up inside of me. I move to reach into my pocket but a crackling over the speakers stops me. The Mayor has finished his speech and the escort, Ophellin, is bouncing onto the stage. She, at least I think it's a she, is dressed in all orange, including her hair. She would look like a sun except that it's such a horrid shade, almost sickly looking. I feel the crowd shrink back with me. It hurts just to look at her. She paste on a huge smile, revealing teeth that have been dyed green. I'll never understand what is going through their minds, if anything is at all.

"Hello, dearies! Don't you all look fabulous today!" she announces in a high pitched voice that reminds me of metal scraping together, "Let us take a look-see and find out who's the extra special pair this year!" she bounces over to one of the balls of names, "We'll start with the fabulous young ladies first!" I close my eyes and start praying. This is it. My heart races a mile a minute. She reaches in and grabs a slip of paper. My heart speeds up, if that's possible. My breathing is short. I curl up my fist to calm myself but it doesn't work.

'_Calm down. They'll call the name and it will all be over. Then you can go home with everyone and wake up tomorrow like nothing happened.'_ I tell myself. Unfortunately, myself refuses reason and continues with it's freak out. I look up as the orange lady opens the paper, still flashing her green teeth.

"And you wondrous female contestant this year will be…" she draws it out. I silently beg her to get on with it before Shrike gets up close and personal with my lunch. "Amilyn Seins!" she announces.

I think my soup is going to make a reappearance after all.

I hear the screams. My sisters. Ryven's siblings. Maybe even a few of the other young girls from the orchards. But Amelia's voice is the loudest. She's shrieking her protest. The camera focuses on the twins and I can see them; a pair of twelve-year-old blue-eyed, blond girls standing in the front row, dressed in matching pink dresses. One is staring into the distance, obviously terrified but hiding it behind a mask that I know she's master after all that has happened to her. The other is weeping openly, wailing at the top of her lungs. She clings to her sister, refusing to let go. Amilyn carefully pulls her arm out of the vice-like grip and walks solemnly to the stage. I scan the crowd and find Ryven among the other fourteen-year-old girls. Her eyes are focused on the stage, her jaw clenched and her knuckles turning white. She won't volunteer. I know that. She has six others at home to care for. She knows that we would all take care of them but she refuses to leave them. For a year after her mother died, she hated her for abandoning them with nothing. Ryven refuses to do that. I can see from here that it's killing her inside to watch Amilyn walk to her death. There's nothing we can do. Unless someone volunteers.

The camera is still focused on the weeping Amelia when she opens her mouth, "I-" that's all she gets out.

"No you don't." Amilyn growls, talking for the first time since her name was called.

"But I-" she tries again only to be silenced once more.

"You think it will change anything if you're standing on this stage instead of me?" Amilyn asked her, raising her eyebrows, "No. It won't! At least I have a chance in these games! So you just shut-up, watch the rest of the Reaping, and help Sis take care of the family." she lectures. The crowd stands in stunned silence. Even I'm blown away. I never knew that any of the family had that much of Ryven in them. She's a miniature of her older sister. Amelia looks as stunned as I feel. But she doesn't try to talk again. After a few moments of nothingness, the escort clears her throat.

"Well. It seems that we have an extra special girl this year! I can see that District Eleven is strong! Now for a boy to help push us to victory!" she bounces some more but this time not so high. Her smile isn't lighting up her face anymore. It's more of a grimace than a happy face. It makes her green teeth look even worse.

I don't even worry about this one. I can't feel anything below my neck. I still can't understand why Amilyn is standing up on that stage. Ophellin reaches into the boys' names, grabbing one of the slips before walking back to center stage.

I don't care anymore. I don't care if my name is drawn. I just want this to be over so I can think. So I can run to the field and across the plains and feel the soft, plowed dirt beneath my feet and think. I want to dive into the thorn bush and bury my face in lavender so that sweet smell can wash over me and take this memory away.

"Our super awesome boy tribute this year will be…" her voice is still high and chipper but there's hesitation in it, "Jay Jenks."

God no.

Shrike collapses next to me. I reach out instinctively and catch her. I feel my heart spark ever so slightly as I hold her close, but the weight of everything makes it feel as if a plow is being shoved down my throat. "No. No. No. No." she keeps repeating it. Her friends stand by, staring at her as if she's crazy. Jay walks onto stage, trembling. His dull gold eyes dart back and forth. Amilyn holds her head high but I can see the disappointment in her eyes. Of all the strong, older boys who work in the fields, she got the spoiled brat that's never done physical labor in his life.

That's when I see it. No one is moving and Shrike is keeping up her chant, trying to turn back time. I get caught up in the moment. I finally see the way that I can make the girl I love notice me. I can be her knight in shining armor, even if I'm just a poor kid from the fields.

"I volunteer." my voice sounds different, deeper. The cameras flash to me, standing there, holding the tributes crying sister. That'll give the Capitol something to talk about. The girl stares at me like I'm and angel or something. I turn and give her a weak smile before I lower her to the ground and walk through the crowd. They part to let me by, staring at me. A couple are glaring like I've done something wrong. I know that Shrike is 'popular', but I never stopped to think about others trying to steal her heart from me. But I just beat them. I just turned into her hero. There's nothing they can do now.

Jay practically flies off the stage, running as fast as his legs will take him. I avoid him and start of the stairs, trying to make myself look fearsome. I don't think it's working. I stand and face the crowd and it suddenly occurs to me that I've done something very, very stupid.

**A/N: Yes Krow. That was stupid. Now you know why it's called Volunteer.  
But, anyway... Keep updating and I will continue to write. I don't know about an update in between now and monday because of all the stuff I have to do... but I will try.**


	3. A Song for Funerals

**A/N: And I've finally finished Chapter 3! ...That's about all I have to say...**

I can feel all the eyes on me. I shift in the heat, trying to look tough. On the inside, my stomach is performing flips and somersaults like a trained animal. I really wish that I hadn't eaten before I came. The escort says something but I can't hear anything. She turns to Amilyn and shakes her hand before looking at me. I stare at the hand offered to me. '_What is this strange, orange thing in front of me? Do I use it for something?'_ I can't seem to make things string together.

The strange hand is pulled back suddenly, like I'm about to bite it. I flinch back and glance up at the creature. The thing flashes a green smile and waves a little, motioning to Amilyn and me.

'_Did we do something wrong?'_ I step towards Amilyn a little, feeling protective. White surrounds us. The Peacekeepers, bearing their guns, herd us towards the building behind us. I put a hand on Amilyn's shoulder, ready to bolt across the fields in an instant. The walls surround us and I stop, blinking to adjust my eyes to the darkness. We're inside the Justice Building. I know that at any second they're going to force us to our knees and shoot us. That's what they do when you don't follow the rules. That's what happens when you step out of line.

Amilyn is pulled from my grasp and escorted down the hall away from me. I let out a strangled yelp and reach for her.

"Please, Krow. Don't make this any harder than it has to be." an eerily familiar voice says behind me. A chill runs up my spine as I turn to face the Head. He smiles weakly at me as if to say he's sorry.

"What are you doing with her!? She didn't do anything wrong! Leave her alone!" I yell, lunging at him. The other Peacekeepers grab my arms and stop me. I fight them, trying to reach him so that I can strangle him.

"Take him into the room and tie his arms behind him." the Head orders as his smile disappears. His brow creases as if he's disappointed. I hope he is as they drag me towards a door. I take one last look and spit at him. He jumps back but is still lands on his shoe. He scowls at me and turns on his heel to go down where they took Amilyn.

"Leave her alone!" I scream. The entire time while they're tying my hands to the chair, I fight them. I can't let him touch Amilyn. She's practically my little sister. The Peacekeepers finally finish and shuffle out of the room, complaining about low pay. I don't care if they starve, but if they touch that little girl, I kill them all personally. The door reopens and a Peacekeeper motions someone in. I'm sure that it's the Head, I get ready to spit at him again but the face that appears makes me stop.

Vende's the first one inside, her mismatched eyes red and puffy. She runs at me and throws her arms around me. I feel sick inside. What could they have done to her to make her cry like this? What did they say?

Then comes Kerin, looking like she's not really there. Her eyes are fixed on some spot a thousand miles away as she stares at the wall.

Then Hather walks in, holding my weeping mother. When Mom sees me she lets out a strangled sob, turning back into Hather's shoulder.

I know that there is nothing that I can say to make them happy again. There's nothing to make them smile. So I simply say, "I'm sorry." My voice is shaky and quiet and at first I'm not sure that they hear. I sigh and get ready to repeat myself when a voice interrupts me.

"We know why you did it." it's Hather. She turns to look at me with harsh eyes, "I was about to do the same for Amilyn but she startled me with that little speak of hers and by the time I tried, they had moved onto the boys." she confesses, looking a little ashamed, "I was going to do it because she's practically my sister and I love her. You did it because you love Shrike."

I don't know what to say. It doesn't make any sense. This had nothing to do with Shrike.

And then it hits me.

I volunteered.

It comes rushing back so fast that my vision goes black for a second. The Reaping. Calling Jay's name. Shrike in my arms.

I volunteered for the Hunger Games.

I want to cry. No, I am crying. The tears pour down my face. It all makes sense now. The Peacekeepers and Amilyn and the escort, I must have shoved the thought away from my mind and forced myself to forget. I've done it before. I did it when I saw a man whipped. I did it when my father died. I even did it when I broke both legs so that I could continue to work for my family. I was so stupid. I want to tell Amilyn I'm sorry for being stupid. I almost want to apologize to the Peacekeepers for fighting them. But that's not going to happen.

My mother walks to my side and wraps her arms around me protectively, "She doesn't deserve someone as caring and hardworking as you." she whispers in my ear, planting a kiss on the side of my head. That's just what a mother would say. The truth is that I don't deserve her. But by the time I get back, I will.

Vende kisses my cheek as Kerin begins to sing a song for funerals.

"Please come home." Vende begs in a lull in the music. I nod to her, unable to talk because of the lump in my throat. There's a knock at the door.

A Peacekeeper sticks his head inside and quietly tells us, "We have more people that want to visit."

Who else would visit me? My heart leaps, maybe it's Shrike, coming to thank me for saving her brother. Maybe she'll come and confess her love for me and I can promise her I'll come home. I mind wanders and the fantasies play by. A voice interrupts me as I reach naming our third child.

"Hey, lover boy." Hather is standing by the door. I realize that my mother and sisters have left with out a good-bye. "Just don't get killed alright." she tells me firmly, turning to the door.

"Wait!" I yell after her and she stops, "Tell Mom and the other good-bye for me." I tell her, urgently.

"Why? I thought you where planning on coming home." she smirks at me as she leaves. I feel myself smile as the door reopens. A Peacekeeper comes in and unties my hands. Mom must have talked to him. He retreats quickly, glancing back at me warily. I rub my wrist; the red mark from the ropes is prominent, even against my tanned skin. The door opens again but this time a swarm of color descends upon me.

Amelia, age twelve, is there first, still weeping. "Please bring her home! Please!" she begs, pulling at my shirt. I don't know what to say.

Ryven's free hand pulls the girl away, forcing her out the door. I her other arm, she holds her baby brother, Swen, the only boy of the family. His blue eyes belong to his mother but the red hair is impossible to place. Even on the Head who keeps his head shaved. The three year old watches me with wide eyes. I know that he doesn't understand. I hope that when he asks, they can tell him that I died as a hero.

Grentle, eleven-years-old and facing the Reapings next year, has blond hair and blue eyes like her mother and sisters. She hugs me and then backs up, staring at the floor. She understands that either her sister comes back or I do. She turns and walks to the door, wiping her eyes as she goes.

Then there's Nivi, nine, the same age as Vende. She's that same replica of her mother that her three older siblings are. She wants to be a seamstress one day. She knows that there's no way that it will happen. We grow crops in District Eleven. But no one says anything. She's really very good too. She kisses the opposite check that Vende did before taking her brother outside with the others.

Eight-year-old Layla was the first child born to another father than Ryven's. She has her mother's blond hair and green eyes that are almost as profound as the older Vende's. The Head has green eyes. It's strange to think that these skinny, weathered children are his. She hugs me and waits for her sister.

Trala is the youngest girl, only four-years-old. I try not to have favorites but I always want to protect Trala. She's so tiny, even smaller than Vende. They say that she has a _mutation_. I hate it when they say that. The tracker jackers were mutations. Trala is a tiny and almost helpless little girl. Her red hair is thin and her green eyes always look sad. I pick her up gingerly and hug her. I barely feel her tiny arms tighten around my neck, not really reaching all the way around. I set her down carefully, letting Layla take her hand and lead her away. I hits me again that this might be the last time I see them.

Now it's just Ryven and me. She stands back from me, her arms crossed across her chest. She's frowning at me. I sigh and close my eyes, rubbing my face. "You're really stupid. Did you know that?" she says quietly. I glance up at her. Her black eyes are trained on something far away like Kerin. I expect her to burst into song any second.

"You don't have to rub it in." I growl at her. I don't feel like putting up with her jokes right now. I just want to curl up in a corner somewhere and disappear.

"Well, it's true." she huffs, glancing over at me, "I take it that you didn't volunteer to help Amilyn." she pins me down with a glare.

"No." I tell her curtly, "For the same reason you didn't." I shift in my seat.

"Don't give me that crap." she hisses at me, "I'm the only one to take care of my family. You have your mother and your sister to take care of yours." her eyes narrow.

"So did you just come in here to growl at me or did you want to say good-bye." I stand to face her. The anger in her eyes dies down instantly. She looks back at the wall, frowning again.

"It's just not fair." she whispers so that I can barely hear her, "Why do I have to lose my sister and my best friend?" a single tear rolls down her cheek. I step over to her and wrap her in a hug.

"It's going to be ok. I'll make sure that Amilyn comes home." I tell her quietly. She pulls away and walks to the other side of the room. I roll my eyes and sigh as I sit back down.

"Is Shrike waiting to come see me?" I finally ask her. I know that she doesn't like Shrike but I can't help asking. I want to see her one more time before I go to my death. I want the chance to confess how I feel about her. I can feel the anger radiating from Ryven's side of the room without having to look at her. I pull the flower out of my pocket and twirl it between my thumb and forefinger. It's barely bent from the time it spent in my pocket.

"No. She left right after the Reaping." Ry mumbles into the wall.

Why didn't I give her the flower earlier? I sigh, felling empty inside. But maybe Ry was just lying. Maybe she just refuses to tell the truth.

"You still have that?" Ryven's voice startles me. I look over at her. Her eyes are glued to the flower.

"Yeah. I was going to give it to Shrike." I look back at the flower, my mind wandering away again.

"Sorry to tell you but she doesn't care a thing about you." Ry half-yells at me. She stomps to the door, fuming, "And I hope you die in the Games!" she screams as she reaches the door. It slams behind her, leaving me staring at the door, stunned.

I really don't understand these crazy girls.

I stare at the flower sadly. "This is all you're fault, you know?" I tell it harshly. It doesn't move, just stares at me. I let out a heavy sigh and walk to the door, pulling it open. Ryven's standing outside, leaning against the wall crying. I stand beside her until she looks up.

"I'm not going to take it back if that's what you want." she hisses, wiping away the tears.

"I don't want you to." I don't look at her. I spin that flower again, "Here. This was yours first." I hand it to her. She smiles slightly but pushes my hand back.

"Keep it. It can be your token in the arena." she tells me quietly, "And you can give it to me when you get back."

"But your sister-" she cuts me off.

"You'll just both have to come back." she smiles widely, "Now get back inside before the Head sees you. I don't think he'll let you off so easy this time." she punches my shoulder playfully.

"So you don't want me to die anymore?" I ask, smiling.

"Just try to make it amusing." she announces as she walks away. She waves good-bye as she reaches the corner.

"I can't make any promises." I call after her. She laughs as she turns the corner, still waving. I walk silently back into the room and sit down as the door opens again. I sit up expectantly but only the Head and two Peacekeepers come in. I sigh and lean back in my chair.

"Up." the Head orders and I stand to face him. "Anything you want to say?"

"No." I tell him firmly. I don't care if I was wrong; I'm not going to apologize to the people that make District 11 hell for my family and friends. He frowns and shakes his head, motioning me to the door.

"They get worse every year." he mumbles as we walk out.

Like most of the people in District 11, I've never been on a train in my life. The closed I've ever been to one is watching it roll by in the distance almost three sections over. The one they lead us to is huge up close. I can tell that Amilyn is just as amazed as I am but we both resisted the urge to stare at it wide-eyed. They force us through a door that slams shut behind us. They must not want us to run for it. Amilyn and I move forward as the train begins to move. We find a sitting area where we can look out the windows. The fields begin to roll by. I can see the people walk home. I might never see this again. I put a hand on Amilyn's shoulder. No matter what, I'm getting her home.

I stare at the scenery. A familiar face catches my eyes. It's Shrike and Jay. They're on their way home. She flashes a bright smile as they both laugh. I feel my heart split in two as I watch them. I'll never see her or that smile again. I grip the flower as we sped up and the fields begin to blur.

This really might be good-bye.

**A/N: Well, I might as well tell you all that made it this far that I would like to get at least three or four reviews on this chapter. I will post for the few people that actually care but it's really hard to know that you care when no one reviews. I will thank the three people that did review. You guys are awesome. But if I can't get any feedback I'll just stop posting. Truely, I don't care if you just review and say "Hi." I just want to know that there are people out there that are reading.  
And if something made no sense what-so-ever, just PM me and I'll probably get back to you within that day (since I'm almost religiously stalking Chocolatiee'****s fanfic).**


	4. Suprises

**A/N: I'm sorry that this took so long to get out. Between the English essay and the AP Calculus work and getting my laptop taken away, it took a while. But on the up side, next week I start the last nine-weeks of high school! So I won't have to worry about homework so much.  
After alot of deliberation, I decided that this is written with the idea that Catching Fire did happen and they lost somehow... since it is set in the future, some things are going to be different but the general setup is the same. I'll explain it in later chapters.**

Amilyn and I sit staring at the passing land. We'll be out of District 11 soon. Footsteps behind us make me turn. The escort and Hava stand behind us. Ophellin is smiling widely, having gotten over the crying and screaming from the Reaping. Hava keeps her head down, her eyes glued to the floor.

"Why don't you two sweethearts go get cleaned up and into something more cozy. Then we can watch the other Reapings and see who the other fabulous tributes are!" Ophellin announces in her high-pitched voice. I moan inwardly. I didn't really think that she talked like that. This is going to be the longest day of my life.

A pair of workers lead Amilyn and me to a pair of rooms. The first is hers and the one next to it is mine. The bed is huge and looks really comfortable. I think I'll sleep on the floor. The bathroom is the same size as our kitchen back home. I slip off my father's clothes and step into the shower, even though I'm pretty sure I'm still clean from my bath in the stream. There is a knob with symbols on it. I assume those are words. I sigh and look around. My mother can't read. My father couldn't read. My sisters can't read. Everyone I know can't read. That includes me. It's not a necessary skill in District 11.

I decide to guess and learn from experience. That's how you learn, right? I jerk the handle one way and scream. I stumble from the shower slam into the floor, which isn't as soft as I thought it was. I yell curses at the water that pours out. A knock at my door startles me. I grab a towel and cover myself, leaving the water running as I open the door.

Ophellin is standing there, looking worried, "Are you alright?" she asks quickly. I thank the fact that her voice has fallen a few octaves.

"The water was hot." I mummer. I don't want to tell her that I can't read. She makes a show of reading the names of tributes.

"Miss Ophellin?" Amilyn's voice calls from down the hall. I hadn't realized that she was standing there. She's in a towel too.

"Please deary! Call me Ophy!" her voice jumps back up. I moan at the pitch. "What's wrong, honey?" she hurries down to Amilyn's room. I listen to hear her question.

"I don't know what the words in the shower say." she stares down at her feet. I sigh and walk down to where they both stand.

"Neither do I." I admit. I feel stupid, again. The escort blinks rapidly at the both of us. I expect her to start laughing, and she does.

"OH! Of course! How silly of me." she giggles to herself. I stare at her for a moment, confused. "I always forget that you lovely tributes can't read! This happens every year but I never remember." she waves us into Amilyn's room. Her room is the same as mine. Her shower isn't running but it's obvious that it was earlier. Ophellin leans forward and points to one side of the handle. "This way is cold water." she begins. I recognize one of the squiggly lines. The only word that I can spell and read is my name. The round symbol is in my first name. That's how I'll remember. "This way is hot. Ok deary?" she smiles widely.

Oh no. That one has the round symbol in it too. But it starts with a weird symbol that kind of looks like a fence. That's the same one at the beginning of my last name. I point to it and glance at her, "How do you say this word?"

"It's just the word 'Hot', sweetheart." she explains like it's obvious. Hot. Haliss. I get it now.

"So this first little mark makes the same sound as the first of my name. Do they all do that?" I ask quickly. I can see it taking form. I can get some of it.

"Well yes." she smiles. She must see that I'm starting to understand. I bet the other tributes didn't do that. "Like Amilyn and apple. They start with the same letter."

"It's that simple?" I look over at her. She nods, silent for the first time. I think of all these letter things that I know. The first letter of my name I'm sure of but not the others. Maybe between now and the Hunger Games I can learn all of the symbols and the sounds. I might even be able to read.

"Now you darlings get cleaned. The Reapings will be starting soon." Ophellin shoos me out of the room. I close the door to my room and walk to the shower, sighing slowly. I'm going to win this time. I reach in carefully and turn the water off with burning myself. I'm more cautious this time. Soon warm water is spilling through my hair and washing away everything. The steam feels good. I turn off the water and wander over to a very large and fancy looking piece of furniture. I tug at one of the handles and it opens to clothes. They're all in better condition that my father's. I pull out a long sleeved shirt and a pair of pants to wear. At the last second I remember the flower. I pull it out of my pocket and place it on the table. It looks so bright in the windowless room.

As I walk back to the first car, drying my hair with the towel, I meet up with Amilyn. She's wearing an oversized shirt and loose pants, looking extremely comfortable. She smiles at me, wringing water out of her own hair.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Ophellin motions us to move faster, "They're about to begin!" I sit on a bench at the table and Amilyn crawls in after me. She leans in my arms and I wrap her in a hug instinctively. I watch the screen as it begins to flash the faces of the people that will be trying to kill us in only a few days.

The first tributes are from District 1. The escort calls out a name but it doesn't matter. A second girl jumps up onto stage without a second thought. She announces that her name is Glam. What a weird name. She's tall and strong, her blond hair pulled back into a tight pony-tail. A career. Great. The boy is called and several big guys volunteer over each other. When it looks like it's going to be a huge seventeen year old, a final voice volunteers. The boy that skips up to the stage only reaches up to the girl's elbow. What is that kid thinking!? He smiles evilly, announcing that he's Glitz and will be winning this year. He looks like a toddler, with his childish features and baby hair, but his gold eyes glint wickedly. He might turn out to be a problem.

Then the District 2 Reapings start. The girl that's called ends up being the tribute, after a small scuffle with a volunteer. They call her Fara. Her hair is unnaturally white and her eyes are black. I wonder if she's had them altered like Ophellin. The boy, Dill, goes up without a fight. He's tall and thin. No one volunteers for him. As the camera zooms in on him I can tell that his eyes are clouded over. I stand up and yell at the screen, knocking Amilyn to the floor on accident.

"That guy's blind!?" I demand as the face flashes off. Ophellin turns to look at me, startled.

"I guess." is all she says. Isn't there a law against that or something? They don't really expect him to fight do they? I sit down as District three comes on, mumbling an apology to Amilyn. She says something back but I can't hear her. She moves to the other side of the bench, shooting me an accusing glare.

The girl that is chosen, Twill, is fourteen. She walks unsteadily up the stage, crying. She faces the crowd with tears running down her cheeks. There is some crying and sobbing in the group but no one volunteers. No one volunteers for the boy either. His name is Gizmo. He walks up to the stage without a sound. Everybody watches him silently. As he turns, I can see why they're staring. One of his eyes is a deep green but the other whirls around by itself. I can see that it's made out of metal. I can't help but wonder how he lost his eye.

District 4 is terrifying as ever. The girl that walks forward is named Mariana. She's kind of pretty. Her blue eyes seem to go on forever. It's the boy, Pike, that makes me squirm. His eyes are sea green but when he flashes a smile, his teeth are sharpened to points. He looks like he could rip flesh from bone with those. I cringe and Amilyn flails as she scurries back into my arms. She hides her face in my shirt, shaking.

"Calm down." I tell her quietly, "I won't let him hurt you." I promise her.

"He's really scary." is all she get out, still shaking.

"He's not coming anywhere near you." I pat her hair, "Look, District 5 is on."

The rest of the districts seem to run together. The girl from 5 looks pretty weak and so does the boy. The District 6 tributes are twins, with matching red hair. The District 8 girl is pretty and the boys are practically falling over themselves to volunteer to be with her. A boy finally wins and he grabs the girl when he gets to the stage, pressing his mouth to hers. She goes along with it, wrapping her arms around his neck. I feel a twinge of sadness as I imagine Shrike and I kissing like that. The tributes from 9 go up crying, they're both twelve year olds. They remind me of last year's tributes from our district. I hope they go faster then them. On the other side of the coin, the District 10 tributes are both eighteen.

The only one that really burns into my mind are the ones from District 7. When the girl, Willow, is called, everyone stands silent. The female mentor jumps up and yells curses at the escort. The man backs down to the shorter woman. The cameras flash down to an eighteen year old girl who walks calmly to the stage. She only pauses as a hand reaches out from the crowd. She stops and turns to the boy. He looks like he's only a year older than her. He's holding a bundle that must be a tiny baby. He caresses her face, tears running down his cheeks. She says something to him, smiling before she leans in and kisses him softly. Then she turns away and walks up onto stage without looking back. The mentor stands in front of her trying to get her to go back.

"We can draw again." she tells the girl, looking terrified.

"No. I was drawn. I'm going to go. And then I'm coming home and taking care of my family." Willow assures her.

The mentor sighs heavily but relents and sits back down. The escort draws a boy named Pinyon and finally a young, intelligent looking twelve year old walks up the stairs. He nods to Willow before facing the crowd with a serious look. There's no crying or screaming. Then the faces disappear. I feel a chill run down my spine.

Then our faces come on the screen. Ophellin pulls Amilyn's name out of the sphere and the camera switches to Amelia screaming. I winch at the sound. I feel Amilyn's grip tighten on my shirt. Then Amilyn scolds her sister and everything goes silent. Even the commentators, who have been snickering through the other Reapings, fall silent. When Ophellin speaks, they seem to be knocked out of their shock.

"Now that's a spunky girl!" one says with a laugh.

"And not to bad looking, either." the second jokes. They both laugh so hard that you can barely hear me volunteer. The camera flashes to me. They go silent again.

"Now that's love." the first says seriously. Neither of them laugh as I make my way up the stage. Then the anthem plays and the screen clicks off. I sit silently beside Amilyn for a long time. No one moves as we stare at the television.

"This is really happening, isn't it?" Amilyn doesn't look away from the screen. I stand and stretch, not looking at them.

"Yeah. It is." I tell her quietly as I wander back down the hall. I stop at the window and stare out. The landscape rolls by at over 300 miles-an-hour. I look away, feeling queasy. With a sigh, I walk into my room. I rummage around in the furniture. I finally come to a shelf full of these things called books. I've seen them before in the Peacekeeper's office. They're full of words. I pull one out and walk over to the bed. I run my fingers over the front as I sit down. The cover is made of tanned, worn leather and the pages feel fragile. I can make out a few of the letters. The first one is the same as my last name and the one on the shower. I stare at the book, frowning. I try to think through it but it just starts to makes my head hurt.

"History of Panem. That's a good one." a voice says behind me. I leap to my feet and whirl on the person. It's Hava. She smiles weakly at me. "I've read it once." she tells me in a soft, sweet voice that reminds me of my mother.

"You can read?" I ask her, looking back down at the book.

"Yes. My mentor taught me." she explains, running her hand across the book, "This is the same copy that was here when I was a tribute." her eyes mist over like she's remembering.

"Dinner is ready." a quiet voice tells us. A Capitol worker is standing in the doorway, her head bent towards the floor. Hava nods to her and puts the book down on one of the shelves.

"Come on. No use standing here and talking. You have to build up your strength. You won't get another good meal once you step into that arena." she leads me back into the dining room.

I sit beside Amilyn. I can tell that she's been crying. I put an arm around her shoulder and shake her a little, "Calm down. It's going to be fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." I tell her quietly. I have no idea if I'll be able to keep the promise. I don't know what I'll become once I step into that hell-hole. No one ever does.

"It's not that." she whispers so that even I can barely hear her, "I'm afraid because I'll have to kill them. I don't want that blood on my hands."

My heart skips a beat. She's three steps ahead of me. I hadn't even thought about killing them. I just wanted to keep her safe. But in truth, to do that I would have to become a killing machine. I think of the others that where chosen. Most of them are like her, just kids that were taken from their families and forced to play a stupid game for the Capitol's amusement.

"Even if I do go back home, it'll never be the same. Amelia and I won't be the same. I couldn't stand to even look at her with all of that twisted up in my soul." she's crying again. I hug her and pat her back and feel helpless. I can't help her. Nothing I can say can take away these fears.

"Hush." I finally tell her as her sobs die down, "Here, eat a little and then you can go to bed and rest." I tell her, pulling her plate over by mine so she can eat. She takes a few small bites, still clinging to my shirt. I manage to take a bite of mine but then she's back, crying on me. I swallow as softly as I can and hold her, waiting for her to cry herself out. That's what I did with Hather when our father died. I let her cry and then she fell asleep.

Amilyn's breathing slows and evens out. I carefully pick her up and carry her into her room. The covers have been pulled back by one of the workers. I place Amilyn on the bed, humming Kerin's tune. I begin to stand but a hand holds me back. Amilyn never released her death grip on my shirt. I glance around and sigh. There's nothing else to do. I crawl into the bed beside her, sheltering her tiny body with my arms. It takes a few minutes before sleep begins to pull at my consciousness. When it does, I fall into a nightmare.

_Ryven stands before me, smiling widely. She holds out her hand and I reach for it. But the wind blows her away and I'm left in the fields alone. No. I'm not alone. There are a group of men and boy making their way towards me, laughing and smiling. I can make out some of the faces. Everyone of them make my heart go cold._

_There's Mizer and Grena and Weld and Quenti. That's not possible. They're all dead. Then I can see the other two and the boy._

_That man with the dirty blond hair and brown eyes, that's my father. That's my father with me by his side, only I'm young. I dance along between him and Versh. No. This can't be happening. Versh is Ryven's father. His black hair and eyes are a dead give away._

_I try to back away but I hit something solid. I turn but I don't need to see it to know what it is. It's the threshing machine. You put the wheat in and it spits just the edible stuff back out in bags. It's teeth run all day long during harvest season. More than once, someone has lost their hand to the wretched machine._

_I run to stand between the deposit chute and the group. I try to tell them to go back. I know what day it is. I know what happens. I know that I have to stop them. But my voice doesn't work._

'_Krow, stand back here. Don't get to close.' my father warns. I stop a few feet back from the group._

'_Thresh, don't do that. In a couple years he could have a plot of his own. He'll need to know how to work with this thing.' Versh scolds him._

'_Then where's Ryven?' Mizer ask, laughing quietly as he gets his load ready to put in._

'_She's a girl. She works in the orchards.' Versh corrects him, frowning._

'_You know she hates it up there. She wants to be down here in the fields.' Weld tells him, stretching._

'_How long 'til the baby's due, Thresh?' Grena changes the subject. He always hated it when they argued._

'_Any day now. Same as Cahiline, right?' his nods to Versh._

'_Yeah. Still hopin' for a son.' he grunts as he lifts his bundle to put in the threshing machine. I feel the tears rolling down my face. I can't stop them._

'_Maybe fifth time's lucky?' Thresh laughs loudly. I can see myself giggle quietly. The wheat slides down into the chute to the teeth, but a loud grinding noise makes the men turn and look. Then they're gone in a cloud of black. It's silent for a few moments after the blast but then a single, strangled cry rises out of the blackness. The cloud lifts. All six of them are sprawled out, looks of terror on their faces. They don't move, only bleed. None of them make a sound._

_My seven-year-old self is the one that's screaming. Blood's flowing freely from my forearm where one of the metal teeth hit me. The Peacekeepers are running towards us. But it's too late. They're dead. All of them are dead._

_And I'm alive._

_I feel a hand shake me and someone calling my name but I can't move. I'm screaming with the little me. I'm screaming for time to turn back. I have to stop it. I have to save them, tell them not to put the wheat in. I have to._

My eyes flicker open as Amilyn sits over me, crying.

"Please Krow. It's alright. It was just a nightmare." she tells me over and over. But I can still see it. The blood, the metal, the bodies. I can never forget. I sit up and stand, my legs shaky under me.

"What time is it?" I ask, my throat aches. I must have been screaming in my sleep.

"They just came and said that breakfast is ready." she stands beside me, "We better eat this time because we'll need our strength."

"Go ahead. I just need a second to calm down. Then I'll be in there." I wave her out. She nods and leaves. My hand flinches to my forearm, pulling up the sleeve. I run my fingertips over the raised scar. It'll never fade, a constant reminder that I survived. Just me.

I wander into the dining area. Hava and Ophellin are sitting across from Amilyn. I sit beside her and start eating. I don't look at them as I shovel the food into my mouth. I don't taste half of it. Finally, Ophellin clears her throat.

"In a couple minutes we will be entering into the Capitol." she explains. Well of course we will be. This isn't news. "I believe that it would be best if I tell you now that you two will have separate mentors."

I freeze. Is that even possible. I run through the list again. That's not right. All of our victors are dead, besides Hava. If they weren't, they'd be ancient by now. I feel the blood rising in my face. And that would mean that they've been sitting back watching our tributes die without lifting a finger.

"Precious little Amilyn will be with Hava." Ophellin continues as if this isn't a big deal.

"But District 11 only has one mentor." Amilyn quickly corrects, looking worried.

"Well, truthfully, the other has been living in secrecy, hidden away from the horrors that play every year." Hava stumbles with the words, "He won when he was only twelve in the first Hunger Games after the Mockingjay Rebellion."

The _what_ rebellion? She didn't just say mockingjay, did she?

I'm about to ask but I'm cut off when everything goes dark. Amilyn lets out a tiny shriek and grabs my shirt.

"Don't fret." Ophellin says brightly as the artificial lights in the train click on, "This if just the tunnel. In a moment we'll be in the Capitol!" she announces, bouncing up and down in her seat. Then everything is blinding. The light streams in through the windows. The city sprawls out in a strange bowl almost. All of the colors are vivid and make me nauseas, just like Ophellin. I turn away from the brightness before I lose what I just ate. I walk back to my room, remembering that it's windowless. I grab the flower of on of the pieces of furniture. Then I turn to the shelf, looking at the book. I read the title again, History of Panem. I grab it and shove it under my shirt as I walk to the front to get off the train.

We're lead through a small crowd of cameras to a building. Ophellin and Hava herd us to an open door. Once we're all inside, Hava presses a button with two lines on it at the top of a list of buttons. The doors close and my heart stops. We're trapped. Hava and Ophellin seem calm so I try not to fidget.

"Your mentor will be waiting for you in our apartment area." Hava tells me quietly. I nod, not sure what to think. "He's good. He's was my mentor." she smiles at me.

Finally, the floor stops moving and the doors open. I let out the breath that I wasn't aware that I was holding. I jump off of the moving trap and nearly collide with someone.

"Watch where you're going, boy." the rough voice scolds me. I look up, terrified, into the eyes of Stalk.

**A/N: So, stuff happened... I intend to only have three more chapters before the Games start. That's the chariot rides, training, and the interviews.  
Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed and is keeping up with the story. Although I would like that you continue to review, it is no longer required for me to update! Congratulations! I'm intrested enough in this story myself that I want to continue it. X3**


	5. Wild Ride

**A/N: I meant to get this chapter out last week. But on the upside, it's a new nine weeks, so no more make-up work. AND we just finished our last required reading book in English so I should have a lot more time to write.  
On my long list of excuses over why this took so long is the dreaded writer's block. I had put the story aside for a little while. But it was not in vain. I attempted to draw Krow! I'm not sure how much I like it but you can find it on the link on my profile. If you have a picture of him in your head, don't ruin it. **NOTICE - I never claimed to be an artist. It might not be that good.**  
****Again, I don't own Hunger Games.**

I sit on the table, trying not to be self-conscious. The people buzzing around me are all weird shades of purple, pink, and yellow. Their faces have been sculpted into bizarre shapes and forms. "All in the name of beauty!" the purple one explained. I can't remember his name. I can't remember any of their names. But I don't think I'll have to.

"Oh deary! What a horrible scar!" the pink one exclaims, holding my arm out for the others to see.

"Oh! What happened!?" the yellow one runs her fingers along the scar.

"Field accident." I mumble, staring at the wall. I can still see the nightmare, fresh in my mind.

"Oh those wretched backwards people!" the pink one yells, waving a dismissing hand, "They let things like that happen to all the pretty ones. Why, with just a few touch ups and highlights, I could pass you off as a Capitol citizen!" she claps her hands happily. It makes me sick to imagine myself dressed up and painted like that.

"Now now, Olivia." the purple one scolds, "He told us that he wants natural." he tells her as he wipes something on my face. It tickles my nose and makes me sneeze but it's better than when they where ripping all of the hair off my body.

"Just a few gold highlights around his eyes?" the pink, I assume Olivia, begs.

"Not unless he says it's okay." Purple shakes his finger at her.

"It will go with his costume and bring out those lovely eyes of his!" Yellow smiles, lifting back my hair to look at me, "Although he is already very handsome." she runs a hand across my cheek.

"No touching the tributes!" Purple explodes. He grabs her arm and flings her across the room. She slams into the wall and slides to the floor. I stand instinctively.

"Don't do that to her!" I growl. If there's one thing that my father taught me it was that no matter what, never, EVER hurt a girl. It's a man's job to protect them, not abuse them. It makes me sick to see even this. I didn't like where she was going but this is overboard. I walk over to her and help her up. She smiles weakly up at me, her eyes half-closed.

"I'm sorry. Thank you." she says quietly as I help her to a chair. The others watch me but I don't care. I want to make sure she's ok.

"Why'd you do that to her!?" I round on Purple. He looks ashamed for a moment. Maybe I am getting through to theses people.

"We have strict orders that we are to have no contact what-so-ever with the tributes." he lifts his head as if he's repeating an oath that he's taken, "I will be reporting her once we leave."

"You'll WHAT!?" I stand face to face with him, drawing myself up taller. All of the Capitol people seem so much smaller than the people in District 11.

"I-I-I'll have to report her to the Director for the Security of the Games." he backs down.

"What's that?" I demand. I've never heard of this 'Director'.

"We all took an oath. We know the consequences" a voice says behind me. The man that walks in is the exact color of aging wheat. He looks like he can't be much older than me. He nods to the other three and they flee the room.

"I take it you're my stylist?" I sit down on the table, still fuming.

"Yes." he states matter-of-factly, looking me over. He's silent for a moment as his eyes lock onto my arm. "You and the girl tribute are friendly, correct?"

"Yeah. She's practically my sister." I explain, shifting under his unwavering gaze. I think back to when we came into the apartment area. I think of Stalk standing there. Questions buzz around my head. There is no way that Stalk won the Hunger Games. He lives in a little run-down lean-to on the edge of the fields. He's been poor his whole life. I feel my blood boiling again. He lied to me all this time. I thought of him as part of the family and he lied to me. A pair of fingers snap inches from my face. I look up at the stylist.

"If you're done daydreaming, you need to get dressed." he hands me a pair of brown pants and a brown shirt. I pull them on and they seem to melt into each other. The pattern is weird and almost looks like bark.

"What? A tree?" I turn to look at him.

"You'll see. On the chariot I want you to stand very still and unmoving." he instructs, rubbing a paste on my face, "Just hold on and don't fall out." he leans back to examine his work.

"I didn't plan on falling." I tell him, glancing towards the window. A multi-colored crowd has gathered outside.

"You'll see." he smirks, "Come on. They'll be beginning soon." he leads me out into the main room. Amilyn skips over to me. She's wearing a long, flowing, green shirt that reached down to mid-thigh. With that, she has on a pair of green tights that go down to her knees and knee-high stockings that have the same pattern as my outfit. Her face and arms are a pale shade of green.

They lead us to the moving death trap and close the doors. I know that they'll open in a minute but I can't help holding my breath. When they do open, my gasp is as much from them as the scene in front of me. The twenty other tributes are running around the area. Eleven chariots are lined up. The first few districts are already on their chariots and ready. The first district is dressed in jewels like always. This year it's diamonds. I can't really recognize what District 2 is supposed to be. The boy from three, Gizmo I think, has had his entire left arm and leg done to look like it's mechanical along with his eye. The other side is completely human. The same has been done with the girl but it's not as imposing.

Pike, I don't really know what to make of him. A net is criss-crossed across his chest and his pants are fused together, fanning out at the bottom. He's holding a trident and glaring at everyone. I only hope that they don't put a trident in the arena. The girl is wearing the shortest dress that I've ever seen, showing off her legs. It is made in several layers, each a lightening shade of blue until it's almost white at the bottom.

The others are all wearing the same things they've worn the past ten years. It's always the same. But I've never seen the outfit that the stylists have put on Amilyn and me. Our chariot is the same though. It has pieces of wheat glued to it all the way around and the horses are both straw colored. I sigh and sit on the side, waiting for the first of the tributes to go. Time ticks past slowly. Our stylist come over, holding a kind of long veil. It's green with random orbs of red in it. They position it carefully in her hair and order me to sit on my knees.

"What?" I raise an eyebrow at them.

"Get down on your knees. Amilyn's going to sit on your shoulders." my stylist sighs as he explains. I get it. We're an apple tree. Joy. I kneel and help Amilyn up. She giggles a little and holds onto my head. I carefully step onto the chariot. I understand what my stylist was talking about. I hold onto the front of the chariot tightly.

"Now remember. You're a tree. You can wave but very slowly. Like the wind rustling a branch." Amilyn's stylist tells her. She nods seriously. "Right. Here are these. Since you're the last chariot you can just drop them casually behind you. The children will love them." her stylist hands her a small green bag.

"What's that?" I ask her, glancing up as well as I can.

"Apples." she giggles and holds one down so I can see it. It's a perfect, bright red apple, the same kind that we grow in the orchards. The same kind that Shrike picks. My heart sinks again. I might never see her again.

"Ok. You're next. Hold on and be careful!" my stylist waves goodbye and a wall of sound hits me.

The crowd is ever color you can imagine and some that you can't. The brightness of it all hurts my eyes, even though it's dark. I hold onto the chariot and refuse to move, my face solemn. I glance up at one of the screens. We do look like an apple tree. Amilyn moves slowly, dropping a couple apples behind us. A pair of children dart across the road and grab the apples before disappearing into the crowd. They move so fast that it's like they where never there. I look back in front of us. The first chariots are stopped in the circle where we all line up before they force us back down the road. Not many of the tributes are waving or smiling. They all seem distant and fierce. I keep looking ahead. I can see District 3 come around and the boy stares at us. No. He stares at Amilyn.

District 3. Electronics. He's probably never seen a tree.

"District 11! Krow Haliss and Amilyn Seins!" the announcer yells above the crowd's screaming. We ride around to the end of the circle and stand, waiting for them to let us go back. "Panem! I give you the 136th Hunger Game tributes!" the voice announces and everyone cheers. Then they play the anthem. Everyone falls silent.

That's not normal.

A tall man steps out on a stage above all the tributes, waving to the people. I've seen him before. That's President Snow. He's hair and skin are as white as ever. But his eyes stand out, blood red. They say that his father was the best president that Panem ever had. He died a couple years before I was born.

The chariots start moving as the president watches. He keeps his red eyes on the procession. He's eyes seem to linger on District 3. The girl shifts and is half-way under the boy as she stands, no longer waving. We turn and are heading back to the building but I can still feel his eyes on us.

There's a clatter in front of us and some shouts. I look up at the screen and can see that the boy from District 2 has fallen off of his chariot. He rolls to his feet but is almost run over by the District 3 chariot as the girl screams. At the last second, the boy jumps out of the way. The horses start to speed up until they're all running. The boy has to keep dodging them. The tributes cling to their chariots as they race through the doors of the buildings. The people around us are cheering happily.

I help Amilyn down from my shoulders and into the chariot as our horses begin to speed up. "Hold on. Don't let go until they stop." I tell her and jump. I land with a thud and roll in the dust. The crowd cheers louder. I run towards the boy, who is looking around wildly, stumbling around. The noise grows as he begins to walk back toward the last chariot, ours. The one that Amilyn is still clinging to. She screams as he nears and everything disappears in the dust. I run after them. I reach the boy who is lying in the dust, holding his shoulder. "Hey. You ok?" I kneel beside him. He sits up quickly and looks around.

"What? Who are you?" he backs away, his cloudy eyes wide.

"My name's Krow Haliss from District 11. Is your arm hurt?" I ask him, putting a steadying hand on his other shoulder.

"Y-Yeah. Something slammed into it. I think it was one of the horses." he explains, wincing at the pain as he tries to move it, "I think it's just dislocated."

"Come on. We need to get you back to the building so they can take a look at it." I tell him quietly, standing. I look down at him as he sits on the ground, unmoving.

"I-I think I broke my leg." he mumbles, looking at it. I glance down and I know it's broken. Part of the bone is sticking out and blood is pooling. How did I miss that?

"Must have happened when the horses hit you." I kneel down and again and pick him up. He leans heavily on me, whimpering as we make our way to the building. I suddenly release that it's become deathly silent. I glance over at the faces and the entire Capitol seems to be holding its breath. They watch, wide-eyed, as we walk.

Then one starts clapping.

Then another.

Suddenly sound is all around us. People are clapping and cheering. The boy looks around wildly.

"It's ok. They're just cheering." I tell him quietly.

"What? Are we about to get hit with a train or something." he whispers back, sarcastically. He rolls his eyes and his face sets in a scowl.

"No. I think they're clapping because I'm helping you. It's like how people who fall in love or take in the less fortunate get more sponsors." I explain, still shocked from the crowd.

"So I'm the less fortunate?" he growls at me, shooting me a blind glare.

"At the moment, yes." I muse. He smirks slightly and goes back to concentrating on making it to the building. We finally reach it and a group of Peacekeepers come and take him away.

Amilyn is sitting by the moving floor, her arms wrapped around her knees that are up under her chin. She stands quickly as I walk towards her.

"Krow! You're ok!" she hugs me, "What about the boy? I saw him and then there was this thud and the chariot jumped up and I think I hit him! Is he ok!?" she rambles on, looking around wildly.

"Yeah. He dislocated his shoulder and broke his leg but he's still alive." I summarize quickly, using his evaluation of his injuries.

"Oh! I feel so horrible. This is all my fault." she hugs my waist tighter, starting to cry.

"Calm down. It wasn't you fault. You couldn't have controlled those horses. They'll probably fix him up in no time and he'll be down here tomorrow, training with everyone else." I tell her, patting her head, "Come on. Let's go back up to the apartment and get some sleep." I press the button on the moving thing and step on. Just as the door is about to close, the boy from 3 jumps on with us.

"You don't mind if I ride with you, do you?" he asks. He punches the button at the top of the list and the floor starts moving. "That was really something you did out there." he nods to me.

"What? All I did was help him back up to the building." I explain quickly.

"No. You just ruined a certain someone's plans. You just proved that you're a wild card in these games." he gives me a toothy grin.

"What do you mean?" Amilyn looks up at him, confused. He freezes and looks down at her, his normal eye going misty and his electronic eye going still.

"Umm. Are you still alive in there?" I snap my fingers in front of his face and he jumps, looking back at me.

"Hum? Oh! Sorry." he laughs nervously, "You just look very familiar." he rubs the back of his neck, blushing slightly.

"What were you saying about a wild card?" I ask. The moving floor slows and I know that we'll be getting off in a second.

"Oh. Nothing." his face goes serious, "Look, I know that we're supposed to go through our mentors to do this but, would you be willing to be allies?" he holds out his hand as the doors open. Amilyn walks out and I stand there, looking at the boy.

"You know about machines, right?" I glance at the apartment, hoping not to be overheard.

"Umm, yeah?" he raises an eyebrow and his hand moves back an inch.

"Some stuff happened with one of our machines back in District 11. If you can tell me all you know, you've got yourself a deal." I hold out my hand as well. He looks at me uneasily for a moment before taking it.

"Done." he nods. I step off the moving floor and the doors close behind me. I walk down the hall toward my room.

"What else did he want?" Amilyn calls from her room as I pass.

"He's our new ally. Congratulations!" I stick my head in and grin at her.

"Why!?" she stands quickly, "He gives me the creeps. Why do we have to be his ally?" she whines, sitting back down on her bed.

"Because we need people who are smart on our team." I walk over and sit next to her, "We need people who can set traps and use machines and keep us alive. I can't do all of that and neither can you. We need allies."

"But why him?" she looks up at me, wide-eyed like a child that is being told that one of their loved ones is being taking away. I've seen it before. That's what she looked like when Ryven had to explain why she never saw her dad anymore. It was that exact look. It breaks my heart. I hug her and sigh.

"He's going to help me figure something out." I explains softly, "Now go to sleep and don't worry about anything." I tell her quietly.

"Alright." she nods and crawls under the covers without another word. I stand walk to the door, turning out the lights as I go, "Sweet dreams." I whisper as I close the door.

I lay on my bed thinking as the time passes. I play the memory back over in my head. I'm missing something. There's some little part that's not right. I can't quite put my finger on it. That was the one and only time that a threshing machine has blown up. They've quit working and made horrible noises and billowed smoke, one even caught on fire, but never have they exploded. I send up a silent prayer that that boy will know something, anything. I have to know what really killed my father and left me scarred. I have to know.

I fall slowly, my dreams racing past as I wait for morning.

**A/N: Ok. So two more chapters before the Games! I've started working on it all out. Please review. Cross your fingers and maybe I'll have something out before next week but no promises. But next week is also Spring Break so I'll do a lot of writing. X3**


	6. Last Chance to Be a Kid

**A/N: Hello Earthlings. I am happy to announce that I have made it back after falling of the face of the Earth.  
****But in all seriousness I really am sorry that it took nine weeks to get this written and posted. But on the up side it is 25 pages and 15,335 words long so that should keep you busy. I'm not really sure if this all turned out quite like I wanted it to…but it ended with what I wanted it to and I got what I wanted in there so I guess it's OK.  
****You do have to keep an open mind because things have changed since Catching Fire.**

**I don't own Hunger Games, yada yada, you've already heard this.**

**And I think I actually need a warning thingy at the beginning.  
****Contains gang references and some over-all awkwardness.  
****Shocking, ain't it?**

I sit up instinctively. I know that it's time to go to work. But everything looks wrong. I'm not sleeping on the dirt floor of my home in District 11. My sisters aren't curled up a couple feet away on the run-down mattress that I found for them. My mother's not waiting in the kitchen to force me to eat a slice of the apple that one of the girls snuck home.

I might never see them again.

I slide out of bed and walk to the bathroom. The paste on my face from last night is smeared everywhere. I slip my wrinkled costume off and step into the shower. But this one isn't like the one on the train. This one is a panel with buttons and lights and words everywhere. I cautiously press a couple of the buttons. It ends up being a warm shower with several layers of soaps and other things and a final misting that makes me smell like fresh plowed dirt. It's refreshing to smell the earth. It's like I never left. I'll have to be sure that I use the same buttons next time.

My stylist and his pets left my flower on a piece of furniture along with my smuggled book. I sigh and pick it up, running my hand over it. There's a clinking noise and I whirl on the door, preparing for someone to come in. Instead, a small door holding a set of clothes opens. I set the book down and walk over to pick the clothes up. It's a pair of black pants and a dark green, over-sized shirt. I pull them on and stretch. They're a little heavier than my work clothes back home but just as comfortable. I grab the flower and twirl it in between my forefinger and thumb.

Why do I still have this? It's just a flower. It will wilt before I ever get in the arena. I should just throw it away. But, I can't. It's Shrike's flower.

No. It's Ryven's.

I shove it in my pocket and walk out into the hall. The smell of food is suffocating. So many things that I've never smelled or tasted. It makes my mouth water. I walk past Amilyn's room as the door opens. She's wearing a similar outfit, but her shirt is a pale green and longer than mine.

"You look nice." I nod to her. She smiles and wanders down the hall. There's a room farther down from our rooms. The door's open and the smell of food is pouring out. We step inside and see a table covered with food. My stomach lets out a loud growl.

"I've never seen so much food in my life." Amilyn gasp. Neither have I. I glance down at her and she looks up at me, her face lighting up, "Is this all for us?" she ask.

"I think it is." I nod to her. We both stand there, staring at the table.

"If you just look at it, you'll go hungry."

I turn slowly. The man standing behind us is tall, with a wrinkled face and thinning gray hair.

It's Stalk.

"You got training today. Eat." he commands, walking past us. He grabs a plate and piles it with food. He sits across from us and begins eating, never looking up at us. My heart pounds violently, like it's going to explode. I have to struggle to catch my breath. My mind is racing, everything flashing through it in seconds.

I slam my fist down on the table, shaking the plates and knocking over some of the drinks. Stalk looks up, his face calm. Heat rises in my face. I can tell that I'm trembling from the violent shaking of the table. My head's throbbing now, my vision getting blurry.

"You wanna explain exactly what the hell you're doing here?" I finally hiss. I hear Amilyn gasp behind me. I don't cuss, not like the other men from the fields. But I can barely hear from the blood rushing in my ears. Stalk sighs and wipes his mouth on the back of his sleeve.

"Let's see." he leans back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling like he's thinking, "You two get some food and I'll tell you all about it while you're eating." he motions to the two empty plates. I grab one and throw some food on it. I have no idea what any of this is. I sit across from him and fold my hands, waiting for him to continue. Amilyn quietly sits beside me.

"Where to start?" he sighs, "My parents where rebels when the Mockingjay Rebellion started. So, when they restarted the Hunger Games, they stuffed the Reapings with the names of the children of rebels. I was chosen along with my sister. She was sixteen. I was only twelve. They never really meant to have a victor that year. They planned on getting down to two or three and then having a disaster kill all of them at the same time and claim that they couldn't have stopped it. But they miscalculated. The rockslide that hit took out my sister and the other tribute left alive. In the end, I was left standing on a narrow pass, staring down into the valley where my sister lay, dead. That was it. I was the victor. I'd hidden behind her the entire games and then I was victor because I was an inch and a half ahead of her when we where running away." he shrugs and goes back to eating.

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" I ask, my voice monotone. I stare down at my food. I try to think if there ever was even a sign that he might have been a victor.

"I tried to disappear. I tried to make a new life and just forget about it. But it seemed like every time I managed to bring home a victor, they would die and I would be back here mentoring another." he stops eating. He stares into his food, unmoving.

"Then why are you here? We still have Hava." Amilyn pipes in. She still hasn't touched her food. Her eyes are wide and full of tears. I hug her quickly, petting her hair. She shakes me off and looks back at him, "Why?" she demands again.

"Because you two are here." he finally admits, "Up until now, all of the tributes have been kids that I've never seen before. Yeah, it breaks my heart to see them loaded up and taken to slaughter, but you two." he breaks down, crying into his plate, "If anything happened to you and I wasn't here trying to protect you…" he puts his head in his hands, "I commit suicide."

I freeze. It's not something you joke about. There are stories that float around District 11. People who commit suicide end up in a never-ending pit of despair and pain know as the Nether-Region. It's mostly to keep the children from ending their lives to ease the pain of hunger. But to wish that upon yourself. The real anguish that you have to be feeling to think that you deserve a lifetime of pain.

"I'm glad you're here." I whisper. He glances up at me. "I don't think that I can forgive you for lying to me, but I don't want you to end up in the Nether-Region." I stand up, towering over him, "That's a punishment that is far too lenient for what you have done." I growl harshly. I turn and leave. I'm not hungry anymore. I feel like I'll never want to eat again. My anger continues to boil, leaving my heart feeling charred.

I go to my room and collapse on my bed. As soon as the door closes, my anger's gone. Now I just want to cry. I want to curl up in a little ball like a child and never look out at the sun again. I just hurt someone who cares deeply for me, the only father I've had since my own died.

I'm so stupid.

The door opens and I sit up. Stalk's standing there, staring at the wall away from me. "What do you want?" I hiss, my anger flaring back up.

His blue eyes land on me and stop my heart for a second. They're cold and pierce me to the core. "First of all, I want some respect. Yeah, I lied to you. But what would you do? Huh? Walk around announcing that you lived because you outran you dead sister? I just wanted a normal life. I would have told you when you where older." he growls at me, advancing inside the room. "Second, I want you to go in there and eat. I don't care if I have to shove it down you're scrawny throat, you're going to eat at every meal and build up you strength." he takes another step towards me, growing even taller; "Finally, I want you to go in there and talk to Amilyn. She's been crying since you left and if she's crying, she can't eat, and if she can't eat, her chances of coming out alive drop to near zero. You got that?" he's standing over me. I hold his gaze for a moment but look away.

I mumble all of my thoughts as I walk from the room, most of them my mother would beat me for.

"And one more thing." his voice stops me, "There are going to be Peacekeepers everywhere down in the training area. I want you to leave them alone. You have no reason to go after them." I turn and glare at him but he's not looking at me anymore.

"Whatever." I growl, walking away.

Sure enough, Amilyn is bawling in the eating area. "Hey, Amilyn, don't cry." I sit down next to her. She stops for a moment and looks up at me. "I'm sorry I said all of those things. I was just angry." I tell her, wiping away a tear. I smile weakly at her and hug her.

"Krow. You shouldn't talk to Stalk that way." she whispers to me, "He's your mentor and your friend in the fields. He helped us get by after Dad died."

I pull back and look down at her. I didn't expect her to remember that. But when something like that happens, you never forget. "I'm sorry. You're right. I won't lose my temper again." I look down at her plate, "Now eat, we have to go down to training in a minute." I pick up a strange, three pronged thing and stick it into the nearest pile on my plate. I think this is how I saw Ophellin use it. I works but when I put it in my mouth, it stabs my tongue. I let out a yelp and hold my mouth. I can taste blood. Amilyn looks up at me as my eyes beginning to water. She smiles slowly and then begins to laugh.

"It's not funny! My tongue is bleeding!" I fume, but smile with her. It finally stops bleeding and I try eating again, this time not shoving the pokey thing into my mouth so hard. It works out better. I have to remember to ask the name of this strange pokey thing.

"Alright! Time to go to training, my dears!" Ophellin skips into the room, bouncy as ever. I let out as sigh, making Amilyn giggle. This woman is way too cheerful. But I stand anyway, following her away from the food and down to see the other tributes.

We're on the moving floor again. I decide that I'll ask the boy from three about the pokey thing and what they call this moving floor. Maybe he even knows the name for that piece of furniture that holds all of the clothes. I don't know how I'll remember it all. But I don't think that I really have to.

"Now remember, play nice with the other tributes, and don't show off to much." Ophellin lectures, trying to smooth down my unruly hair. She finally gives up and moves to straighten Amilyn's shirt, "Don't act like weaklings but don't let them know all of you tricks, just yet. And try to make new friends and learn some new skills, okay?" she ends happily, bouncing on her toes. She makes it sound like we're meeting some new kids that just moved in instead of training for the Hunger Games. The doors open and she shoves us out the training room.

Not all of the tributes are there yet. I can see the boy and girl from three across the room. They wave at us and I make my way over to them, Amilyn close behind.

"You made an alliance with them!?" the girl hisses as we get closer.

"Don't be so uptight, Twill. Not everyone is out to get you." he smirks as us.

"I didn't realize that our alliance with you meant your district partner too." I nod to Twill, frowning.

"Just like you, we come as a package set." he shrugs, "How'd you sleep last night?" he ask, glancing around the room, looking bored.

"Fine, thanks for asking." Twill pouts, crossing her arms.

"I assumed so since I didn't hear any screaming this time." he answers without looking at her. I feel the tension building, but he doesn't seem to care.

"I'm killing you first." she growls, prowling across the room to sit in one of the chairs.

"I'm sorry if we lost you an ally." I glance from her to him and back again. His laugh throws me off.

"Don't worry about it." he smiles widely at us, "She does this all the time. Twill can be paranoid and violent but she's also a little scatter brained. She'll have forgotten about it in a couple minutes." he laughs again, "She'll come over and want to know why I left her sitting over there."

"Really?" Amilyn looks over at the girl, "I didn't know that people could actually be like that."

"It's a District 3 curse." the boy explains, "We work with wires all of our lives so when our children are born," he taps the side of his head, "Their brains aren't wired quite right." he laughs again.

"Look at you, standing over here laughing your head off like an idiot while I sat over there. I hadn't even realized you'd left! You could have at least told me." Twill crosses her arms as she approaches, frowning at the boy. I stare at her. There's nothing else to do.

She seriously forgot threatening the boy's life.

It's Amilyn that breaks into laughter first. It because of her that I can reclaim my composure, but I can't help the smile.

"And just WHAT is so funny?" she demands, glaring down at Amilyn. Amilyn ignores her, trying to contain her giggles.

"It's nothing. I'm sorry for abandoning you." the boy pats her shoulder, his face serious, "I think that everyone's here. They'll be starting soon." he nods towards the moving floor. One of the doors open and two more tributes step out. "That's all of them." he walks towards the front of the building where several people are sitting above us.

"How does he know that?" Amilyn leans forward and looks around.

"I'd tell you," Twill smirks down at Amilyn, "But then I'd have to kill you." she limps over towards the boy. Amilyn looks wide-eyed up at me.

"I think she was joking." I laugh nervously, forcing my smile.

"She's really creepy." Amilyn whispers to me, "Even creepier than that boy." she looks up at me, pouting, "You're not good at choosing allies."

"That's not my fault." I tell her firmly, walking over to the others.

"Is everyone here? Yes? Yes?" one of the people stands up, looking us over, "Good! I am Maria Lewing, the Head Gamemaker! Welcome to the Training Center. I trust all of you slept well?" she pauses as if she wants us to answer, but before anyone says anything she starts again, "Good! Good! Well, as you know, you will be here training for three days and on the fourth, you will display your skills and be given a score. Then it's off to the arena to battle for the glory of being victor!" she cheers. The other Gamemakers clap respectfully. Several of the careers cheer loudly. Amilyn hugs my arm, hiding behind me. "Now, while you are allowed to fight each other, I must stress that injuring another tribute with malicious intent will result in immediate disqualification and termination. If a Peacekeeper feels that your actions in combat are too violent or have malicious intent behind them you will be given a warning. If you do not heed this warning, you will be disqualified. You are free to move about the Center to different training areas as you like. You will be feed lunch at one o'clock sharp and training will resume at two o'clock. You will then be allowed to return to your rooms at six o'clock. Now have fun and work hard to continue to VICTORY!" she yells. The Careers cheer again. Amilyn's shaking now.

"Don't worry. I won't let them anywhere near you." I pat her hair, glancing over at Twill. She's staring at Amilyn. What could she want now?

"Hey." she bends over, looking Amilyn in the eyes, "Hey kid." she says again, lifting Amilyn's chin so that she has to look up at her, "You're allies with Giz and me. We aren't going to let anything happen to you." she smiles sweetly, "So stop worrying, kid." That wasn't exactly what I expected from her. I can tell from Amilyn's shock that she wasn't expecting that either.

"I told you she was scatter brained," the boy leans over to me, whispering under his breath, "But she can have a brilliant moment every now and then."

"We will now begin the first day of training." Lewing announces, motioning to the stations around us. I glance around. The careers take off in different directions. Some of the others wander this way and that. I can see the blind boy leaning on a crutch, looking back and forth.

"I'll be back in a second." I walk towards him. He glances up as I reach him.

"Krow." he smiles at me. I stop and stare at him. He's blind, right?

"You can see me?" I ask, shoving my hands in my pockets.

"No. I could tell by the way you walk." he smiles wider, "I'll explain it later." he waves me off, "Do you think by any chance you could…umm…help me get around?" he looks at the ground, his smile fading into an embarrassed blush.

"You're district partner isn't helping you?" I look around for the girl. I finally spot her, flirting with the boy from 4, Pike.

"No way she'd help." he mumbles, his face going blank. Careers do value strength over anything. A blind boy isn't going to be strong. But it's more than that. Something must have happened between them. I think about the chariot rides, he fell off.

Or maybe he was pushed.

But that wouldn't be it. Something like that would have gotten her thrown out of the Games. I glance over to where Amilyn, Twill, and the boy are waiting for me.

"You can come with us." I tell him, quietly. I don't know what use he'll be for us but I can't let him wander around lost.

"Who's 'us'?" he looks around nervously.

"My district partner, Amilyn, and the two from District 3." I explain, "They're right over here." I lead him over.

"What's this? A Career?" Twill crosses her arms and glares at us.

"He's with us now." I tell her. I give them a once over. Twill is glaring at him suspiciously. The boy is smiling, his electronic eye shifting this way and that. Amilyn looks like she's about to cry. "Amilyn?" I put a hand on her shoulder, "What's wrong?" I ask her nervously. She keeps staring at the District Two boy, her bottom lip quivering.

"I-I'm so sorry!" she finally yells, tears starting to run down her face, "I didn't mean to hurt you! It's my fault that you have to use a crutch! I'm sorry!" she cries.

"I-It's fine." the boy's face is bright red, "I'm fine, really." he tells her quickly, "My name's Dill. You're Amilyn, right?" he holds his hand out to her, smiling.

"Y-Yeah." she nods to him, shaking his hand. Her tears stop and she even smiles a little.

"If you two are done, we need to pick a station and start training." Twill flicks her hair over her shoulder and glances up at the Gamemakers.

"How about the weapons? No one's over there now." the boy nods towards an empty station. A man stands by, looking at the others.

"Sure." Twill starts that way but stops short. The boy takes two steps forward and is beside her in an instant, mumbling into her ear. She shakes her head, her long brown hair swaying slightly. She starts again, her limp more pronounced.

"Is something wrong with her?" Dill ask as we follow them.

"She's got a bad leg." the boy sighs, walking after her.

"How did you know?" Amilyn looks over at him, tilting her head to the side.

"I tell people apart by the sound of their footsteps." he nods to her, "She's limping worse than before."

"Yeah. I noticed that she was limping when she was called in the Reaping." I frown, thinking.

"Is it really safe for her to be in the arena if she's hurt?" Amilyn glances back at Twill.

"For some reason, I don't think they care." Dill's voice is harsh as he speeds ahead of us, leaning heavily on his crutch.

"Is he mad at me again?" Amilyn looks like she's about to cry again.

"He wasn't mad at you to begin with." I sigh, reminding her. He's right. If they cared about people being able to fight, they wouldn't have sent a blind kid into the Hunger Games. I stop beside Twill, who's lifting a sword and looking down the blade.

"This is a little off-balance. Not the best metal. Curved incorrectly. Not sharp enough to cut." she sets it down, "Piece of junk." she decides. The station worker looks at her, astonished.

"E-Excuse me! These weapons are all of superior quality." he stutters, looking from her to the sword.

"Excuse ME!" she pulls herself up as tall as she can, "My father taught me everything I know and he's been making the swords for the Hunger Games for the last twenty years!" she stares down at him, "The reason this is a piece of junk is because it was made by another. It doesn't bear his brand! It's worthless!" she shouts.

"If you know so much I guess you don't need my help in handling the weapons!" the station manager stomps off, muttering curses at her.

"That was low. Even for you." her district partner mutters to her, smirking.

"I don't trust him." she shrugs, picking the sword back up, smiling at it this time.

"What was that all about?" I ask, looking over the left behind weapons.

"Twill's father built threshing machines." the boy smirks at us, "I don't think he ever picked up a sword in his life."

"You ran him off?" Amilyn stands beside her.

"I told you, I don't trust him." Twill shrugs.

"Wait, your father builds threshing machines?" I look over at her.

"Yeah. So do I." she nods, twirling the sword with her wrist, "Why?"

"We had some…problems with one of the threshing machines." I glance at Amilyn, but she's too absorbed in the table of bows to hear.

"Did no one fix it?" Twill ask, barely paying attention to me.

"It blew up."

The blade flies to the ground and clatters six feet behind her, barely missing another tribute. Twill stands frozen, her eyes fixed on the wall.

"That's what you wanted to ask about." the boy stands over her, looking me over, "What do you want to know about that explosion?"

"Why it exploded." I stand up to him, my mind racing. Amilyn's standing beside me now, looking at us. Dill is carrying the sword back over, his head down.

"That's none of your business." the boy's taller than me and draws himself up. I feel fear run through my spine but I force myself to stand my ground.

"Because it killed both our fathers and left me with this." I pull my sleeve up so that they can see the scar. Twill stays frozen but the boy's eye is whirling again. I glance at Twill as a tear rolls down her face. My resolve disappears. I take a step towards her but she flinches back, glancing at me. Then she's gone, running unevenly across the room.

"What did you say to her!?" Amilyn scolds me. I look down at her, completely confused.

"Don't worry. She'll come around." the boy sighs, watching her go.

"I didn't mean to make her cry." I glance from him to her.

"No. It's not you're fault." he turns back to the weapons, "I should have know that you'd want to know about that." he shrugs, his face blank.

"Why did she run off like that?" Amilyn stands beside him, looking at the weapons he's going through.

"You'll have to talk to her about that." he shakes his head, "I don't talk about people's past. If they want you to know, they'll tell you." he picks up a small knife, twirling it in his fingers.

"It has something to do with the threshing machine explosion, doesn't it?" I look over Amilyn's shoulder at the weapons.

"Talk to her." he repeats, drawing back his arm and flicking his wrist. There's a thud as the knife buries itself two inches into the head of one of the training dummies.

I swallow hard and move between Amilyn and the boy. Then something in the pile catches my attention. It looks like the sickles we use during harvest season in District 11. I pick it up and test its weight. It's almost identical. I walk over to an open area where a training dummy stands. I test the sickle in my hand again and swing it. It's just like harvest season. I glance up at the dummy. When I swing the sickle this time, I take off the dummy's head. It works alright.

Maybe I do have a chance in these Games.

A trident embeds itself into the dummy's gut inches from me. I jump and whirl on the thrower. Amilyn skips up beside me and wretches it out of the dummy.

"T-That was you!?" I gap at her as she twirls the trident. I glance over at the boy and he looks a startled as I feel.

"It's like an over-sized pitchfork!" she giggles, bending down and making a flipping motion with it. During harvest season, every extra person helps harvest the wheat. I've seen Amilyn and Amelia helping Ryven before. Ryven will cut the wheat and the twins will work together to move the wheat into smaller, easier-to-gather rows. She's been using a pitchfork for a while now. It's a little scary to see her practicing with it, ripping the dummy to shreds.

"She's violent." the boy is beside me watching.

"I didn't realize that she could fight like that." I stare at her. It looks like she could take care of herself.

Then I remember Dill.

We were supposed to be helping him. I look around for him but some others seem to be taking care him. He's standing over at the archery range, the two District sevens watching him.

"Alright. Two this time. You ready?" the girl announces. Dill nods, his grip on the bow tightening. He pulls out an arrow and sets it against the string. The girl tosses two small bird-like things into the air. Dill lifts the bow and fires, the arrow piercing both of the birds at the same time. He smirked as the arrow lands on the ground at his feet.

"That's amazing!" the girl gasp, "Here! Three this time!" she throws them before Dill even sets another arrow. There are three separate thuds as the birds hit the ground.

"Isn't that…umm…not possible?" Amilyn tilts her head to the side, standing beside me.

"No. It has to do with atmospheric pressure and the sound created by the friction between the birds and air." the boy from 3 explains, his mechanical eyes shifting this way and that.

"What?" I look over at him, confused.

"It's like a sixth sense." he sighs, shaking his head.

"Oh! Cool! Does that mean he can talk to ghost too!?" Amilyn ask, bouncing up and down.

"Umm…no?" he raises his eyebrow as he looks at her.

"Don't crush her fun." I smirk at him, setting the sickle down on the table.

"Are we going to another station?" Amilyn walks over beside me and sets the trident down.

"I don't know. There's so much to do." I look around at the other stations.

"Practice then. We only have three hours until lunch." the District 3 boy picks up a sword and starts swinging it.

"I'll fight you." I pick the sickle back up.

"You're on." the boy's smile lights up his face.

"Please don't kill each other." Amilyn sighs, grabbing her trident. I glance back to smile at her and see an arrow fly past her face. I turn and glare at Dill but it doesn't do much for a blind kid. He smirks at her, lowering his bow.

"Want to learn something cool?" he ask, nodding towards the other side of the weapon training area.

"Does it involve her dying?" I growl, looking from her to him. He shrugs and walks over to the other side.

"I'll be fine." she smiles at me and walks after him.

"Don't let your guard down." the boy yells at me, his sword slicing at my face, "Or I'll give you a new scar." he smirks.

"Thanks for the warning." I lift my sickle, suddenly feeling defenseless. He comes at me again. This time, I'm ready. I let the sword land in the sickle and twist my wrist. The sword flies from his hand and clatters to the floor a few feet away.

"Nice." he smiles, walking over to the sword, "So you can defend yourself." he picks up the sword and turns to me, "I don't have to go easy." this time he runs at me. I manage to dodge but he comes at me again. I spend the next two hours running for my life.

That's when someone else steps in.

It's the girl from District 7, the one who was throwing the birds for Dill. She holds her own sword, dancing playfully around the boy as she blocks and attacks. I didn't realize that I was so tired. The District 7 boy is standing on the other side watching Dill and Amilyn. He's taught her how to block arrows with her trident. I can't help but flinch every time he shoots at her head. I walk over to the boy, leaning on the table.

"I'm not sure I trust a blind guy to shoot at my sister." I mumble to him, trying to catch my breath.

"She's your sister?" he gasp, moving away a little, "I didn't realize-"

"Not blood." I cut him off, "Our families are so close that she's practically my little sister." I correct myself. "My name's Krow." I hold my hand out to him.

"Pinyon. My district partner is Willow." he shakes my hand and nods to the girl. She seems to have taken the upper hand in the fight, making the District 3 boy back down a little.

"She's pretty good." I watch them fight.

"She's better with an axe." Pinyon corrects, "Almost everyone in District 7 is good with an axe. It's essential to staying alive."

"Sounds serious." I look from Willow's battle to Amilyn's training and back again, trying to concentrate on both at the same time.

"It is." he nods, "If you can't fell trees or chop wood, you're pretty much useless."

"'Fell'?" I look over at him. Fell is used when you fall from something. I try to think of how that would have anything to do with trees, aside from falling out of them.

"It's chopping down trees." he quickly explains.

"Right." I look back at the fight. Felling trees. I wonder how many new things I can learn before the games.

"I give! I give already!" the boy gasp, falling to his knees. I smirk at the girl who stands over him.

"One hit. Bam. You're dead." Willow pants, motioning the hit with her sword. She smiles down at him as she lets the sword fall to her side, swinging in little circles as she tries to catch her breath.

"You don't have to be sarcastic about it. We get it. You won." Pinyon growls at her, crossing his arms.

"You're so cute when you try to be angry!" she squeaks, smiling widely.

"For the last time, I'm not cute!" he yells back, "I'm strong and I'm going to win these games!" he glares at her.

"Are you sure I can't adopt you?" she skips over to him, her smile getting wider, if that's even possible.

"I have parents and I'm going to go home to them!" his eyes flash, his glasses falling low on his nose.

"But you're just so cute!" Willow grabs his cheek, cooing to him. He fights back and has to continually shove his glasses back up his nose as they fall down.

"And I thought Twill was insane." the boy from 3 leans on the table next to me, watching them.

"How was it getting beat by a girl?" I ask playfully, grinning at him.

"Hey! I'd been fighting for a lot longer than her and-" he stops as he glances up, "Why is Dill shooting at Amilyn?" I look over at them and shrug.

"Training." I answer. Really, I don't know what use this will be in the arena. She's gotten good, able to block three or four arrows in rapid succession.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" the question comes out of the blue. I turn to stare at the boy, but his face is serious as he watches Amilyn. He's not joking. I swallow and turn to stare at the wall.

"Well, no. I mean, I have a girl I like but I'm not, I mean…" I try to find the right words but it just comes out as a jumbled mess.

"Oh." is all he says, never looking away from Dill and Amilyn. I look around; no one else is paying attention to us.

"Why?" I ask seriously. He looks over at me and smirks.

"Well, you're just so sexy, I wanted you all to myself." he whispers, leaning towards me.

There's a loud crash and some screaming and the boy's sprawled out on the floor. I look down at him, his nose starting to bleed. He looks at me, stunned for a moment, before he starts laughing. I realize that I punched him. I feel a little guilty but that was not a comment that I'll take from anyone.

Especially a boy.

But the boy just keeps laughing his head off. Everyone's watching us now. He never moves to get up, just keeps laughing. I remember what he said about the District 3 curse, their mind aren't wired quite right.

I'd say his is completely upside-down.

I sit beside Amilyn when we eat. The boy's on the complete opposite end but every time he looks at me he snickers. No one says anything. They just concentrate on their food. Dill, Willow, and Pinyon sit with us. I haven't seen Twill since she ran away after the threshing machine argument.

I glance around and hear the boy chuckle again. I can't take this. I stand up and face the boy, "What do you think is so funny?" I growl at him. The others stare at me but I face the boy. He smiles and swallow another bite of food.

"You need to learn to take life less seriously." his smile widens, "You only have a few more days to be a kid, enjoy it." His words make me think of the first time I heard that. It was Ryven who said it.

"_Would you calm down." she stood over me, "You only get to be a kid once, so stop wasting it. This is important to your family. The work can wait. Now come on." she held her hand out to me. I could feel my smile as I took it and she lead me out of the fields._

I sit down, staring at my food. He's right. In a few days, I'll be killing to survive. I look up at him and he's still smiling. "So you're not really trying to get with me?"

I hear Amilyn cough as she gags on her spoon and whatever was in it. Dill leans over to help her cough it up, his face brighter red than is humanly possible. Willow drops her pointy eating thing as she stares at me, frozen. Pinyon falls out of his chair. I'm not sure that he's conscious. The boy's eyes widen and his face pales as he looks at me.

"No, I mean, you think that I'm really…no…I mean…I was just kidding…I'm not…I mean…" he stutters, his electronic eye searching for answers.

"You need to learn to take life less seriously." I repeat smiling, "You only have a few more days to be a kid, enjoy it." He stares at me but his face slowly cracks into a smile. Then he's laughing.

"That's a good one. You really got me there." his face goes suddenly serious, "But really, I'm not gay."

"I didn't think you where." I smile. The back of Amilyn's hand connects with my shoulder as she slaps at me, the color coming back to her face. I laugh and playfully try to block her. She finally settles on pouting at her food.

"I dunno, you look pretty gay to me." Twill limps over with a plate of food, her nose upturned as she sits down.

"I'm sorry, Twill. I don't like you." the boy sighs, smiling slightly.

"Good! I don't want you to!" she shouts down the table at him, sticking her tongue out. I snicker, looking down at my food.

"Hey, Pinyon. You still breathing?" Willow leans back in her chair to look at her district partner. He sits up slowly, holding his head.

"I don't want to know what he said or what the answer was. I'm going to a different table and pretending that I don't know any of you." he picks up his plate and turns to leave.

"Sit down." Willow grabs that back of his shirt and turns him around, forcing him back into his seat.

"You're not my mom. I don't have to listen to you." he tells her firmly.

"I could be." she smiles at him, her face lighting up.

"No, you couldn't. You would have been six when I was born. That wouldn't be possible." he growls at her.

"Actually, the youngest girl to ever give birth to a live child was only five years old." the District 3 boy recites, staring at the wall, "The little boy lived until the age of 40 when he died of a bone marrow disease that had nothing to do with his mother's young age."

"What?" Amilyn stares at him, her jaw dropped.

"It's true." he smirks at her, "Weird, huh?"

"How do you _know_ that?" Willow narrow her eyes at him.

"I know a lot of useless trivia. People just never ask about it." he shrugs, "Wanna hear something else cool!?" his face lights up.

"Umm, no." she slides farther away.

"Alright trivia guy, what's this?" I hold up the pointy eating thing. He looks at me, his eyebrows going up.

"You're joking, right?" he just stares at me. I shake my head and look down at the pointy thing.

"We don't have theses in District 11." Amilyn speaks up, twirling the utensil between her fingers.

"We don't have them in District 7 either." Willow adds.

"This is a fork." the boy explains quietly.

"Fork." I try out the word, looking down at the thing. It's quiet for a moment as everyone thinks about the word.

"How about this, genius? What's your name?" Willow challenges, smiling.

"Oh crap! It's just on the tip of my tongue!" he laughs, even Twill smirks on the opposite end of the table. "Oh! I remember!" he finally announces, "It's Gizmo."

"Gizmo?" Willow begins to smile, "Gizmo!" she laughs, "You mean like a machine?" Pinyon begins to snicker.

"Yeah, so?" his smile disappears. Willow keeps laughing. "Hey, would you cut it out?" he tries again. Amilyn and Twill are laughing now. Even Dill cracks a smile. I give in and laugh quietly to myself, even though I don't get what's so funny. From what Willow said, Gizmo must be another name for a machine and he's from the electronics district. I doesn't really seem funny.

"Look." he slams his hand down on the table, getting everyone's attention, "If you think it's so funny, why don't you ask my mom, oh wait! You can't! She's dead!" he yells at her. Then his face goes pale as he looks at the rest of us.

"Gizmo." Willow gasp, her eyes wide, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"It's nothing." he mumbles into his food.

"You brought it up, you have to spill." Twill calls down the table, never looking over at him.

"That deal only applies to between you and me." he responds, looking down at her.

"I think it applies to them now too. They are your allies." she answers, smiling wickedly at him.

"You are an evil, evil person." he glares at her but leans back with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling, "Well, where do I start. I'm an orphan. I never knew my parents. When I was born, I had some weird mutation or defect or whatever and I didn't have an eye in my left socket and part of my brain was missing behind it. It apparently just never formed. So they put all this hardware in to replace it. But when my parents saw me, they didn't want me. They didn't want a monster. My mother named me, dropped me off at the orphanage and disappeared. I've lived there ever since. A couple years ago, I did a little research into my mother and father and they died when I was three." he shrugs, "It's no big deal. Not like we where close or anything." he looks back down at his food.

"That has to suck." Pinyon whispers, frowning at his plate.

"Alright kiddos, I spilled my story. Who's next?" he smiles up at the table, his eyes scanning everyone.

"I'll go. What do you want to know?" Dill pips up. I had forgotten he was ever sitting there.

"How about why you're blind?" Amilyn turns to him, "Was it an accident? Where you born like that? What happened?"

"Amilyn! That's not polite!" I scold her, feeling bad for the boy.

"It's no big deal." he shrugs, looking suddenly shy, "I was born this way. Well, not quite like Gizmo." he pauses, like he's thinking about stopping there. "My mother drank poison when she was pregnant with me." he whispers. Willow is in the middle of getting a drink of water and she chokes on it. The liquid spews everywhere as she sits sputtering.

"Willow! You ok?" Pinyon pats her on the back.

"Why…the hell…would she…do…that?" she pants, the glass shattering in her hand.

"Willow!" Pinyon grabs her wrist but she pulls away.

"Why!?" she demands, standing up, her fist on the table. She's shaking violently. Dill leans back, his face pale.

"S-Some bad stuff was happening in District 2. She thought that it would be better to abort than to have me. That's why there are only two or three kids my age in District 2. They where either killed or aborted. I was one of the ones that should have been died but didn't. That's why my mother kept me. She said that I was a fighter. She knew that I could make it through anything the Peacekeepers did." he explains quickly.

"Bad stuff? Like what?" Twill ask as Willow sits back down, fuming.

"Rebellions. Riots. Shootings. Bombs. It was like a full out war. They decided to hit the rebels where it hurt the most, their newest members. They created a mutt that would hunt down women in labor. Then, once the baby was born, the Peacekeepers would kill it and the mother. Soon enough, the rebels just stopped having children. They found that if you aborted the baby with a certain plant, the baby would die and dissolve. No labor. No mutts." he sighs, pausing for a moment, "I'm the only rebel baby that was born in a three year span. All of the others where from the Crypt Keepers.

"The Crypt Keepers? What are they?" I tilt my head to the side.

"You talking about me, black-out?" the white-haired girl sways over towards us, holding her plate of food. She's Dill's district partner. His face flashes to anger but he quickly paste on a smile and turns to look at her.

"Old habits die hard, I guess." he smirks at her, "How's the graveyard this time of year? Tell you're sister I said hi."

"You worthless little Blood Traitor!" she drops her plate and brings her arm up to back-slap him.

"You touch him and I'll kill you! Right here. Right now." Twill stands and glares at her, her face twisted into an insane smile, "Go ahead. Make my day."

"You Bloods should have stayed home. We're going to make you wish that dillweed did kill you." she spits at us, her nose in the air.

"My mother never took dillweed, thanks for asking." Gizmo smiles up at her.

"Could have fooled me." she snickers, tapping her left temple.

"Shows how stupid you are." Twill's smile is as wicked as ever, "So you want me to kill you now or wait until we're in the arena?"

"Should have known that you Bloods would stick together." she growls.

"Just like the Crypts, right?" Dill looks up at her, smiling.

"Just watch it, dillweed." she hisses, prancing over to the Career table.

"What's going on?" Willow looks from both Dill and Gizmo to Twill.

"Stuff." Twill growls, sitting back down.

"Let's see. Where do we start?" I mumble think about what just happened, "Alright, what are the Bloods and the Crypts?"

"Blood Traitors are the rebels, like Twill, Dill, and I. We got that through our parents. Then the Crypt Keepers are the people from the districts that stayed loyal to the Capital. That would be that entire table of Careers over there." Gizmo explains, using his fork to point at the group.

"Why Crypt Keepers?" Pinyon ask, watching the Careers closely.

"They support a dieing way of life. They insist that the dead ways are alive and that things can't change." Twill tells him.

"A crypt is a grave." Dill adds. That makes a little bit of sense.

"What about dillweed?" Amilyn looks over at him. His head droops a bit.

"It's what mothers took to abort. It's mixed with water into a drink to make it go down easier." he whispers.

"That's where your name comes from, isn't it." Willow's head is down as she ask.

"Yeah." he smiles at her, "I'm a fighter."

"How do you two know about this rebellion?" I look over at Gizmo. He smirks as he starts.

"The rebellion stretched through Districts 1-4. They organized it, but there was no way to get word to the others. The rebellion almost didn't happen because they were unsure about what would happen with just the four districts. They went ahead anyway. Then they lost so…maybe they should have waited." he chuckles.

"So is this the Mockingjay Rebellion or is that something different?" Amilyn pips up. The three stare at her in shock.

"No. The Mockingjay Rebellion started like a hundred years ago or something. It ended and they restarted the games. I believe that was the 76th year." Twill explains.

"So this was new rebellion?" I question.

"The Dillweed Rebellion." Dill smirks, "It was my rebellion."

"Yes. I'm sure of it." Twill giggles, leaning forward to smile at him. Smiling at a blind guy…yeah it doesn't make much sense to me.

"So who wants to share their life story next?" Gizmo calls looking down the table at us.

"I can." I nod to him, "I live with my mother and three younger sisters. I work in the fields growing wheat. My father was killed when a threshing machine blew up. That's how I got this scar," I pull up my sleeve, "I've been working my father's plot ever since." I shrug, "Not all that interesting."

"It kind of is…" Amilyn smiles weakly up at me, "I can go next." she looks around. Gizmo nods to her, smiling.

"Well, my father was killed in the same accident as Krow's. My mother got sick and died. I live with my older sister, twin sister, four younger sisters, and baby brother. I work in the orchard, picking apples. And that's about it." she shrugs, "We District 11 people just aren't that interesting."

"I'd say." Willow snorts but smiles at Amilyn all the same.

"Hey, Twill." Gizmo calls down the table, "You next since yours ties into theirs."

"Well…" she begins.

"Alright, everyone back up to your rooms." a Peacekeeper announces from the doors.

"I thought we have more training this afternoon." Amilyn ask, looking around the room. Several of the tributes are talking to together, their heads down.

"We do." Gizmo stands, "They must have canceled it."

"Why would they do that?" Willow stands, wiping crumbs off her pants.

"Do you think it has anything to do with the fight with the Crypts?" Twill limps towards Gizmo.

"Probably." he nods to her. I put a hand on Amilyn's shoulder and lead her towards the moving floor. The Peacekeepers form a funnel to walk through. I try to put myself between them and her. We get on one of the moving floors and ride it up to the rooms. Hava and Stalk are waiting for us.

"What happened?" Stalk demands when we step out.

"Some Crypts and Bloods got in a fight." I shrug walking past him towards my room. I hear Hava gasp and a thud. I turn and see Hava unconscious on the floor.

"W-What happened!?" Amilyn gasp, running to her side.

"When Hava was a tribute, the Dillweed Rebellion was in full swing. She made the mistake of allying with some of the Bloods." Stalk kneels and picks her up, carrying her towards a sitting area. He lays her on a couch and sits in a chair across the table, "Please sit." he motions towards a shorter couch by him. I walk over and sit down with Amilyn beside me.

"So she knew the Rebellion was going on?" I question, leaning forward. Stalk sighs, leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah. She was their ally and so she got a lot of the stuff that the Gamemakers threw at her. And the Careers where after her and the others the entire time." he explains, rubbing his temple, "She had a really good friend in the arena that was a Blood from District 4. It was the two of them and a Crypt left. When the Crypt came after them, her friend took him on. Her friend managed to kill the other guy but was badly hurt." he stops and leans forward to look at her, "She held Catrina until the cannon when off. Then she was the victor." he pauses, letting out a sad sigh, "She's tried to distance herself from everyone since then, trying to get away from the memories."

"I had no idea." I wasn't born when Hava won and no one ever bothers to talk about how the victors won.

"Yeah. We don't talk about it much." he sighs, glancing over at us, "So what did you learn today?"

"I learned how to use a trident and how to block an arrow with it!" Amilyn pipes up, jumping up and down in her seat.

"How to block an arrow? Did someone shoot at you?" his brow wrinkles as he frowns at her.

"Just Dill." I shrug, "I learned how to use a…well…I don't know the real name for it but it's just like a sickle."

"Dill? Wait, what?" Stalk shakes his head to clear it.

"Yeah. We made an alliance!" Amilyn announces.

"With who!?" he sits up in his seat, looking angry.

"Gizmo and Twill from District 2, Dill from District 3, and Willow and Pinyon from District 7." I count them off on my fingers. Stalk stares at us, shocked.

"So, how many of those kids are Bloods?" he finally ask.

"Gizmo, Twill, and Dill." Amilyn nods to him, smiling.

"Just…go take some time off or something." he mumbles into his hands, his head down.

"Whatever." I shove my hands in my pockets and walk towards my room. I can feel the flower. I pull it out and put it on the table in my room, flopping down on my bed.

"Tired?" Amilyn ask, crawling onto the bed beside me.

"A little." I mumble into my pillow.

"Me too." she sighs, "You know, I don't think our allies are half bad."

"That's new." I sit up and look at her, "So you don't think that Gizmo's creepy now?"

"Well…no…I mean…I guess he's ok." she shrugs, staring at the wall.

"I know what you mean." I nod to her, lying back down, "I'm going to get some sleep. I suggest you do the same."

"Ok." she curls into my side, falling asleep instantly.

"Not quite what I meant." I muse but my eyelids are heavy. I put a protective arm around her and fall asleep.

The next two days aren't as exciting as the first. We aren't sent back to our rooms again. But the Careers are careful to stay on the other side of the room from us. The Peacekeepers keep and annoyingly close watch on us. I can tell in their eyes that they want nothing more than to pull the trigger on their guns. I feel the resentment that started in District 11 growing worse and worse as time goes by. It seems like I can't even think about them without feeling the hate boil up.

We go through most of the stations over the two days. I learn a lot about my allies' skills. Willow and Pinyon are amazing at climbing anything and Dill can tell what any kind of plant is just by feeling it. We stay with our little group the whole time. Amilyn spends more time with Gizmo, talking and laughing with him. Willow seems intent on adopting Pinyon. She brings it up six or seven times both days. Dill even begins to stand on his own, leaving the crutch behind.

It was at the end of the second day that Dill and Twill's romance came out in the open.

We'd been walking around to different stations and somewhere Twill and Dill had managed to disappear. I offered to go look for them since I wasn't much help at the fishing station. I finally spotted the back of Dill's head under one of the obstacle courses. I walked over with sigh, happy to have found him but when I get there, he's not alone.

Twill is pressed against the wall, her arms around Dill's neck. Both of his arms are where on either side of her, trapping her there. Their mouths where pressed together with no sign of coming up for air any time soon. Dill whirled on me, his face bright red. Twill looked over and horror crossed her face. I backed away slowly and ran back over to the others without a word. A few minutes later, Twill and Dill walked over and rejoined the group. Dill's face was bright red for the rest of the day. Twill finally took mercy on him and announced to our group that they where together and to get over it. The next day they either held hands the entire time or Dill had his hand on Twill's hip. Every now and then he would peck her on the cheek. He seemed more comfortable after that. He would talk more and smiled most of the time. It was like he had come out of his shell and was enjoying his time.

We sat together at lunch on the third day.

"So this is the last day to eat together where all the food we could want is provided?" Willow sighs, picking up her fork.

"I don't want to have to kill you all." Pinyon plays with his food.

"Oh! You're sooo cute!" Willow drops her fork, patting Pinyon's head.

"I am not! I'm a vicious killer!" he complains, trying to fight off her hand.

"Oh, Pinyon!" she coos, pitching his cheeks.

"Hey, you two never told us you're stories." Twill announces from her place in Dill's arms.

"Oh yeah!" Willow turns her attention to us, "Pinyon first!"

"Whatever." he smoothes his hair back down, "I live with my mother and father and older brother. Happy?"

"That's it?" Twill ask.

"Yeah." he shrugs, "We cut down trees? Is that what you want to know?"

"Wow." Gizmo gasp, "Amazing."

"Me next!" Willow announces, "Well, I live with my husband and son. My mom and dad live next door to us with my little brother." she smiles, shining at the thought.

"Wait. Your husband and son?" I stare at her.

"Yeah. You saw them on the replay of the Reapings. That was my husband, Ailanthus, and our two-month old son, Aspen." she answers, dreamily.

"Nice." Dill smirks, his arm wrapping around Twills waist. I cover Amilyn's eyes as he kisses her.

"I'm an adult, thank you!" she swats my hand away. I smirk at her and turn back to the table. They've started calling people to have their private training sessions. Dill stands as they call his name and he walks towards the door. I've been dreading this for a while. This is also my last chance to talk to Twill.

"What about you, Twill. I've been waiting to hear your story." I nod to her. She sighs and leans forward.

"I grew up with my mother and father. My father built threshing machines. They where rebels but they also acted as spies from the inside. When the rebellion ended, my family didn't have to go through what the others did. We went on, building the machines, but the Peacekeepers were suspicious that we did have something to do with the rebellion. Then word came that one of the threshing machines had blown up. My father was blamed. They beat him, my mother, and me. Then he was publicly executed. My mother died from her beating almost six years later. That's what's wrong with my leg. It hurts bad every now and then but it's mostly fine." she explains, staring at her food.

"That's sucks." Pinyon finally says.

"It looks like it's time to go Twill." Gizmo nods to the door as they call her name.

"Later." she smiles, waving. Only a few minutes later they call Gizmo. Amilyn and I sit with Willow and Pinyon in silence until they call both of them. Soon it's just Amilyn and I.

"Do good, okay?" I hug her quickly.

"I will." she nods as they call her name. She waves back at me, smiling confidently. She's with them for several minutes before they call my name. I go inside and the Gamemakers are sitting above us, eating and drinking. I whisper my instructions to some of the servants as I walk in. They nod and disappear. I walk over to the weapons table. I pick up the sickle, twirling it in my hands and throwing it back and forth for show. I move onto an area where several dummies stand near each other. I move fast and cut all of the dummies into pieces. Then the weapons station manager appears, wielding a sword. I glance over and see a couple of the Gamemakers sit up like they might be watching. The station manager charges but I'm ready. I catch the sword on the first swing and uses the same move I did on Gizmo, twisting my wrist to pull the sword from the man's grasp and throw it across the room. In the same motion, I bring the sickle around and stop it inches from the station manager's throat. He holds up his hands, shaking. I set the sickle back down on the table and leave. That's all I have to show them.

I ride the moving floor, which I have learned is called an elevator, up to our rooms. The others are waiting for me in the sitting area. I sit beside Amilyn and they all look at us.

"I blocked an arrow and threw the trident into a dummy." Amilyn shrugs. I explain my session quickly. There wasn't really much else to do.

"We'll know how wonderfully you did when they show the fabulous scores." Ophellin says in her high voice. We sit around silently for almost an hour before they begin to announce the scores.

The District 1's come on first. The girl gets an eight and the little boy gets an eleven. I look over at Amilyn. That boy's the same age as her. I can't imagine what he did to get an eleven.

Dill's district partner gets a nine. I feel a shiver run down my spine. The careers so far have gotten high scores. Then Dill's score comes on.

It's a twelve.

I swear I can hear his district partner screaming from here. I look over at Amilyn.

"You've got to be kidding me! What did he do!?" I demand.

"Something with archery more than likely." she shrugs, "Do you hear screaming?"

"Yeah." I nod to her and look back at the screen. So that is his district partner I hear.

They move onto Twill and Gizmo. They both score twelves. My jaw drops. I look over at Amilyn and stare.

"So these three are all your allies?" Stalk ask, looking concerned.

"Yeah." it's probably the most civilized conversation we've had since the first day. I've been avoiding him as much as possible, but tomorrow I'll have to spend the first half of the day with him. I might as well not make him an enemy now.

"That's not good. They're doing it again." he mumbles, rubbing his beard.

"M-Maybe they're just good?" Hava says uneasily.

"What are they doing? Who's doing it?" I ask quickly. Stalk looks at me and shakes his head.

"It's nothing." he says in a husky voice, "I'm probably wrong." he says.

"Well, you might as well tell us your theory. After all, we are the ones that they're trying to kill!" I explain harshly. He looks up at me and shakes his head. We look back at the screen as the next district comes on.

The girl gets a seven while the boy, Pike, pulls a nine.

So the entire Career Pack received high scores. It's a little intimidating. I turn towards Amilyn. She shakes her head, looking sad.

"I don't think we can win this." she says quietly. It hurts to hear her say it but it's true. The two from District 5 get a four and a three, weak like I thought. I feel Amilyn's eyes on me. I glance over and she looks like she's about to cry. The two twelve-year-olds from last year scored threes. I shake my head and look back at the screen. I know that she's thinking about them too.

The District 6 twins score matching fives. I wonder how they would decide who goes home if it comes down to only the two of them.

Pinyon receives a six. It's an average score, but I know that he could have done better. Willow scores a seven.

The lovers from District 8 both score ones. I look over at Amilyn. She shrugs. What would they have done to get a one? Would that be walking in and sitting there, just doing nothing for your entire time?

The twelve-year-olds from District 9 get a five and a two. I don't blame them. I noticed them during training. They couldn't do much. One tried to hold a sword and fell over. It took the two of them just to do anything with the weapons. But they where better at the obstacle course then anyone else. Hopefully they'll be able to stay out of trouble.

The District 10 tributes score a six and a seven. It's not surprising. They're both huge in person, even compared to the bigger guys from the fields. I shiver and glance at Amilyn. Her eyes are glued to the screen. Our scores come on next.

A clip of Amilyn yelling at Amelia flashes onscreen as the announcer says her name, followed by her score.

"Amilyn Seins. 10."

I turn on her, shocked, "Ten?"

"I don't know." she says, her own face showing as much shock as I feel.

I look back as my face flashes onscreen. It takes me a moment to recognize it as the chariot rides. It's me jumping off the chariot and running towards Dill.

"Krow Haliss. 10."

"What where you saying?" Amilyn looks at me, raising her eyebrow.

"How is that even possible?" I look over at Stalk, "Does this have anything to do with what you where talking about before?"

"Yes. I think it does." Stalk frowns, rubbing his chin.

"Well?" I prompt him. He glances at us silently. "Would you like to share?"

"It's none of your business, boy." he says harshly, standing and walking towards the rooms.

"None of our business! We're the ones who're going to die!" I stand and yell at him.

"Krow…maybe we should just listen to him…" Amilyn reaches towards me. I dodge her hand and stride over to Stalk, facing off with him. I haven't hit my growth spurt yet so he's still a few inches taller than me. But I can't stand the random mystery tidbits he's been dropping for the last two days. It's like this is a game or something. I refuse to let him play with our lives.

"You better sit back down, boy. Don't think I won't knock you back down to your place." he threatens, turning to face me.

"Do it!" I lean forward, "But we have the right to know!" Stalk lifts his hand back to smack me. I brace for the impact but a hand grabs his wrist.

"That's enough." Hava says firmly, forcing Stalk's hand back down to his side, "Amilyn, Krow, get to bed. You need your rest." she orders, still holding Stalk's wrist. I start to protest but she turns and glares at me. "Now." she says in a harsh voice. I turn and grab Amilyn's hand and run out of the room as fast as I can. I don't stop until we reach our rooms. Amilyn rips her hand out of mine and runs for her room. The door slams just as I'm about to ask her what's wrong. I sigh and look at my door. I just want to get inside and go to sleep. I think I might just find comfort in that nightmare that's been repeating since the train. I sigh again and walk down the hall to Amilyn's room.

I knock once and there's no answer. I knock again and call her name this time.

"Go away, Krow." I hear her call from inside.

"What's wrong?" I ask through the door.

"I said go away." she repeats.

"Then I'll just sleep out here tonight." I slid down the wall and sit beside the door. It opens and she stands there looking at me.

"What do you want?" she lets out a long sigh, propping her hand on her hip.

"Did I do something wrong?" I look up at her.

The door slams in my face again. I lean back and it opens one more time.

"Come in. I'll tell you." she disappears inside. I stand and follow her, sitting down on the bed. She sits in front of a mirror, a hairbrush in her hand. She runs it though her hair slowly. I wait and she finally sighs, stopping her brushing, "Why did you say that to Stalk? He's like a grandfather to all of us."

"He knows something that he refuses to tell us. Something that could keep us alive in the arena." I tell her quickly, "What kind of grandfather won't tell his grandkids what could be the key to their survival?"

"It probably has something to do with when Hava was in the arena." she points out, "It probably hurts them to talk about it."

"Yeah. I bet it hurts when one of those Crypts runs you through, too." I spit out without thinking. I look up quickly and see her face. I don't think I've ever regretted my words as much as I do now. I see tears forming at the corners of her eyes as she looks at me with shock on her face. I stand quickly and walk over to her. "Amilyn, I'm sorry. I'm not going to let any of them touch you. I'm going to get you home." I assure her, wrapping her in a hug.

"Then what about you?" she ask, her voice quivering. I stop at the question. I don't know. I guess I just die.

"Will you make me a deal?"

The soft voice catches me off guard. I pull back and look the little girl in the eyes. I nod silently and she glances away, "When we get down to the last five or six tributes in the arena, would you split up with me?"

I stare at her for a long time, not sure what to say. If I leave her side, I won't be able to protect her. But she has a point. I've seen Hunger Games where the last two tributes were best friends or lovers or something like that. They made one of them commit suicide or turn on their friend. I don't want that to be what happens with Amilyn and me. But how will I make sure that she survives?

"Promise me, Krow." she demands, wiping the tears from her eyes.

I don't know what I can say. The chances are that once we're in the arena, she'll change her mind. I nod to her, "Alright. I promise." I take her hand and hold it for a moment, "As long as you promise to be careful."

"I will." she smiles slightly, nodding back.

I stand and stretch, looking around the room, "Alright, get to bed. We have a long day tomorrow."

She walks over to the bed and crawls under the covers. I pull them up to her chin and kiss her forehead like my mother does to my sisters. She giggles, wiping away the kiss and settling into the covers. I glance back as I reach the door and turn out the lights. She's already fast asleep, safe in her dreams where she's free from the burden of the approaching terror.

I sit at the breakfast table, picking at my food. The dream last night was different. This time, after I watch my father die, my mind raced to District 3 and I got to see Twill's father killed. I don't even know what he looks like but I knew that's who it was supposed to be. I'm almost glad I don't have to talk to her until tonight. I don't think I could face her right now.

"So? Are you ready to practice for the interview, Amilyn?" Hava ask, sitting across from her.

"Sure. What are we doing?" Amilyn tilts her head, pushing her bowl away.

"Mostly going over questions and working out the image you want to present to the audience." she explains. I glance at Hava and she catches my eye. She shakes hand head, looking towards Stalk's room. That's just great. I've never stood before a crowd in my life and now the person that's supposed to teach me hates me.

Could this day get any better?

"It'll be fine. He'll talk to you and help you. He just needs a few extra minutes. You'll see." Hava tries to smile. She stands to leave as Amilyn pats my shoulder. They leave me alone to wait at the table.

It's almost lunch. I've been sitting here waiting for what seems like forever. I sigh and stand, walking over to Stalk's door. I slam my fist into it.

"Stalk! I swear! I've been waiting out here forever!" I yell through the door. It opens slowly as he looks out at me.

"What do you want, boy?" he ask, looking down at me.

"I have that interview thing tonight. You're supposed to be getting me ready for it." I remind him, trying to keep my voice level. He looks me over with knowing eyes and I suddenly feel uncomfortable.

"Come inside." he opens the door wider, crossing to a desk. I pause but go inside. I look around at the dim room. A simple candle flickers from the desk, casting dancing shadows against the far wall. The room feels lonely and ancient and wise, like it's been there for an eternity. The walls are covered with hand-painted pictures. All of them have a boy and girl in them. I walk around, looking at them. I stop at one. I recognize the girl.

It's Hava.

But she's young, not much older than me. I look back over the pictures as something occurs to me.

These are all the District 11 tributes.

I take a step back and look at them all. There must be a hundred or more kids on all the walls in this room. Every hair style and color different. No two pairs of eyes the exact same. Every last detail, down to the way their clothes hang on their frames and the creases in their faces when they smile is frozen in a happier time in the paintings.

It's like I'm standing in a room with my ancestors.

I turn to stare at Stalk when a strange stand in the corner catches my attention. It's holding a half painted picture that looks so life-like, I forget that I'm the one looking at it.

It's me, standing tall and straight, a half smile stretched on my face, my arm turned so you can see the scar. Amilyn is standing beside me, a wide smile brightening the painting. Her hair is pulled back in a pair of messy, lop-sided pigtails like she wears back in District 11 when she wants to keep it out of her face. I glance at Stalk, whose eyes are glued to the painting.

"You painted all these?" I ask, shocked.

"Yes." he says quietly, never looking away from this year's painting, "I do this as a memento and a reminder of all of the tributes whose lives where ripped away from them like mine was. I don't want to let their memory fade."

"I never knew you could paint." I mumble, feeling a little awkward about yelling at him last night.

"When you win, they come and check-up on you. They want you to have a new hobby or something for them to talk about." he turns toward me, "So I took up art."

"It's really good." I nod, unsure what to talk about.

"I guess," he crosses the room and sits on the edge of the bed, "I couldn't really find a way to tell you I'm sorry for last night." I stare at him in shock. I thought I was supposed to be apologizing for yelling at him. Can't really find the words to say. I sit on a stool by the desk, stunned.

"Alright, for you interview, I want you to play the part of the mysterious boy who keeps his emotions hidden and his thoughts to himself." Stalk instructs. I look up at him but his face has gone serious. He's back in trainer mode.

"Why? No one's going to fall for that. They've all seen me smiling and laughing with Amilyn and the others." I tell him quickly.

"Only the tributes and maybe a few of the Gamemakers. Every time you've appeared on camera, you're face is straight and you look like you're at a funeral. I haven't seen you crack a smile once on television." he explains. I can't believe it. Surely I've smiled. But maybe I haven't.

Ryven will be so mad at me.

Then we start on questions. It's hard at first but I find it easier as we progress. I finally have it down as a knock at the door tells us that the stylist gets me now.

"I'll see you right before you go onto stage." he promises. I nod and start to leave but he grabs my arm at the last second, "Krow, when we go down to the training area to line up, there will be Peacekeepers everywhere. I don't want you to even look at them wrong. They have a job to do so don't even think bad about them." he warns. Anger bubble up inexpertly. I rip my arm away from him and follow one of the servants to the back rooms.

This time there are only two people getting me ready. It's Yellow that's missing, the girl that they where threatening to report to the Director. I guess they really did it. I feel a little bad that she was sent away because of me. Purple seems as happy as always.

I feel the sudden urge to hit him.

My stylist finally comes in and I unclench my fist as the two helpers leave. The man smiles as the door closes.

"She's fine." he answers my silent question, "She's gone back to just making clothes for the Capitol."

"How do you know?" I ask, staring at my feet.

"I check up on her every day. She's my sister's daughter after all." he smiles at me.

"I'm sorry I got her in so much trouble." I feel even worse now. I hear him laugh and I look up at the man.

"She's been a wild child since she was little. Sometimes I think that they switched her with a girl from the Outskirts." he chuckles.

"The Outskirts?" I tilt my head.

"The people that live outside of town. You saw some of the children during the chariot ride." he explains, messing with my makeup.

"Yeah. Those little kids that ran after the apples." I stop for a moment, "You gave Amilyn those apples to give to them, didn't you?"

His smile widens, "Just because I live on the rich side of town, doesn't mean that I don't have a heart." he moves and begins to play with my hair, "And I've seen enough underfed tributes come through here to really feel for them."

"It's nice to know that not everyone here is heartless." it slips out without much thought. The man stops and I freeze. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"It's fine." he walks around me to a bag that holds my outfit, "I've had to watch the Hunger Games too."

We sit in silence as he hands me my outfit. I slip it on and look over at the mirror. The pants and shirt are both gold and loose. It shifts when I move, looking like wheat in the breeze.

"It looks good." the man stands back to look at the outfit, "I think you're ready."

I nod and walk to the door. I open it and stop to look back at him. I'll probably never see him again, "Can I ask you what your name is?"

"No, not really." he zips the bag back up. I turn to leave and I hear him chuckle, "It's Tyston Rigs."

"Thanks for everything." I smile slightly.

"Good luck, Krow. We'll be cheering for you." he smiles back. I walk outside and meet Amilyn in the hallway.

I stand in the elevator with Amilyn, Stalk, Hava, and Ophellin. We ride in silence. Amilyn's outfit is green and leafy, like some of the other crops grown in District 11. The doors open and we're met with color and sounds. Peacekeepers stand around every district, keeping them apart.

"Watch yourself, boy." Stalk warns me. I nod silently as the Peacekeepers surround us. I bite my tongue as they force us into line. I can see the others up ahead of us. I shift uncomfortably as the Peacekeepers stand at attention, holding their guns close to their bodies. They're more disciplined then the one back home.

"There's Gizmo!" Amilyn gasps, taking a step towards the elevators. Sure enough, there's Gizmo and Twill, standing with their escort.

Suddenly, a Peacekeeper steps in front of her, his gun trained on her head. She stops, shaking as she watches him. I take a step forward but a hand wraps around my arm, holding me back. I glance at Stalk but he only shakes his head at me.

"Amilyn, honey. Come back over here." Ophellin's voice is shaky as she calls to the girl. Amilyn turns slowly to walk back over to us. The Peacekeeper turns his gun around and shoves her back into line with the butt of it. I'm about to say something but another look from Stalk stops me. The Peacekeeper moves down the line as I turn to glare at Stalk.

"Keep your mouth shut, boy. They're just doing their job." he tells me before I can say anything.

"Why!? He hit Amilyn! I should have knocked him out right there!" I growl back.

"Just leave them alone. They have it as rough as you do." he frowns at me.

"Well maybe they could slack off a bit. These guys are worse than the Peacekeepers back home. Worse than the Head, and that's saying something." I jab a thumb at the men.

"I won't hear another cross word about it." his face is turning a little red.

"Why should you care? They've made my life a living hell." I stand up straighter.

"Why?" his eyes go wild for an instant, "You're father named you after the freaking Head, boy. He was your father's best friend beside Versh."

It takes me a second to process this and even longer for the shock to wear off. My father and the Head…friends. Then something else hits me.

I was named after him.

I feel dizzy, like all of the blood is rushing to my head. I can't get enough air and my knees feel weak. When I finally get over it, they're opening the doors for the first few tributes to go out to the stage.

"Well, then why didn't he help out with my family or Ryven's?" I demand, "Why did he just sleep with Ry's mom?" I challenge him. His face lights up with anger and I'm almost afraid that he'd really hit me. The first few tributes are being force out the doors.

"If I hear you say one more word about Krow I will beat you senseless, right here, right now." he fumes, his face bright red.

"What do you care about the stupid Head?" I growl, pushing my luck as far as I can, maybe too far. They lead the District 10 tributes out and tell Amilyn to move.

Stalk's smile is wild as he leans towards me, "Because he's my son." he whispers in my ear. One of the Peacekeepers moves me with a prod from his gun. I move forward, my mind completely blank. I walk out into the bright lights with my thoughts racing.

**A/N: Again, sorry that this took so long. I only have one more full day of school then next week I'm taking AP Exams for three days and have to go back on Thursday and Friday for two Semester Test and Senior picnic. Then I'm done for good. It's all over, FINALLY!**

**That whole thing with the youngest girl to ever give birth to a live child is actually true. (Look it up. I dare you. Lina Medina.)**

**And the thing with the Bloods and the Crypts…I just couldn't help it. I knew I wanted the Blood Traitors but I wasn't sure about the others. When I came up with the idea, I couldn't think of anything else, it kept coming back up…Oh well… I'm sorry if I offended anyone.**


	7. Dangerous Signals

**A/N: Yeah, so. Last chapter, totally went off on a weird tangent. Ignore that. Hope this one's better since I'm not stressed out or brain-fried. Next chapter should (in theory) be out fast since it's already half written in my mind. Also, I'm happy to announce that, after several months, I finally retrieved my copy of Hunger Games after my friend held it hostage.**

**I don't own Hunger Games. If I did, I won't have to worry about my copy being held for ransom.**

I stumble onto the stage and follow the line of tributes to the chairs that are lined up in front of the crowd. There are bright lights everywhere, but I feel numb on the inside. I sit in the chair on the very end of the row, staring at the group. I feel sick. I can't think straight. Everything keeps spinning around. There's a green colored man on stage. The first girl goes up and talks to him. I can't focus. I can't hear the words. I see their mouths move and I see them laugh but everything is silent. There's just a rushing in my ears.

The girl returns to her seat and the little boy goes up next. It's the same thing. I can't hear what they're saying. They don't laugh as much this time. The green man even looks a little scared.

Then I can hear it. A buzzer goes off an the little boy finishes his sentence and lets out a loud laugh. Not a normal laugh. It's one that sends chills up my spine. I stare at the boy as he walks back to his seat, smirking.

"Next up is Fara Reese." the man announces and Dill's district partner walks up to him, "So, Fara. What's it like to be in the Hunger Games?"

"Not so bad." she shrugs, looking altogether uninterested.

"Do you think you're going to win this?" he tries again, looking nervous.

"Hell yeah I'm going to win!" she turns on the man. He takes a step back, glancing at the Peacekeepers at the side of the stage.

"I-I see. You're so passionate about this. Do you have any secret plans to ensure your victory?" he toughens up, standing back up straight.

"Yeah." she nods, falling back into disinterest.

"Any you want to share with the folks at home?" he prods.

"Wouldn't be a secret then, would it?" she fires back, glaring at him lightly.

"You have a point. Now before our time runs up, the Capitol is dying to know. How do you get your hair to this lovely shade? There are already so many people copying it." he ask. I glance out at the crowd. There are a few splotches of pearly white.

"It's natural. One hundred percent original. No way anyone can get it like this unless they're me." she exclaims, jabbing her thumb at herself. A buzzer goes off and the green man laughs.

"Of course. Of course." he chuckles as she returns to her seat, flipping her hair over hand shoulder as she sits, "That takes us to Dill Hens." Dill stumbles up over to the man, glancing around nervously. "It's good to meet you, Dill. So, how is it to be blind and to enter into the Hunger Games?"

"A-A little unnerving." he mumbles, staring at his feet.

"Don't be so timid. I promise I don't bite, much." the man burst into laughter along with the crowd. Dill takes a half-step back, beginning to turn a bright red. He lowers his head more, if that's even possible. The people continue to laugh, completely unaware of the torture they're putting him through.

I can hear a soft tap. It keeps up, unsteady and soft. I look out of the corner of my eye and catch the movement of Twill's feet. It kind of looks like she's walking in place. Dill shifts barely. He turns his head, barely looking back at us. I see him smile as he lifts his head high.

"Sorry. I'm not good with large crowds." he says, his voice strong and clear.

"He can talk! It's a miracle." the man laughs, "Tell us, how do you intend to be a contender in these Games if you can't see?" he leans towards Dill.

"I have friends. That's how. And besides," he pauses, offering a wide grin, "I'm a fighter. I can survive. I survived the dillweed. I survived the mutts. I survived the Crypts." he pauses again, looking directly up at the Gamemakers, "I'll survived the Hunger Games. Just wait and see." he turns on his heel as the buzzer goes off.

The man stands in shock, watching him go. A low mutter passes through the crowd. Twill gets up, strolling to the announcer before he seems to register that they're moving on. "Oh! Of course. Next is Twill Ilon. Twill, some have commented on your limp. Have you been in an accident recently?"

"Nah. Just a little fight. Nothing to worry about." she shrugs, smiling off into the distance.

"A fight? Things tough back home?" he prompts, raising an eyebrow.

"Just beat up a couple Crypts now and then. Nothing too big." she glances at him.

"Y-Yes." he looks uncomfortable. The man pauses, catching his breath, "Do you think your injury will affect your performance in the arena?"

"My performance? You make it sound like an act instead of a fight to stay alive." this time she raises her eyebrow, giving him a quick once over.

"I suppose you're right." he chuckles, "How about this, do you think it will affect your chances?"

"My chances are as good as any of these starving, helpless kids sitting behind me. I don't want to die, but I'm not afraid of it. So if I do," she pauses and looks up at the Gamemakers like Dill did, "I'll be sure to give you one hell of a show." she holds up her left hand, pressing her middle three fingers to her lips and holding them out to the Gamemakers. Several jump up in shock. One turns and begins to yell to someone in the back of their sitting area. "With love, from yours truly." she calls to them as the buzzer sounds. She leaves the green man in shock once again. Gizmo stands and pats Twill's shoulder as they pass each other. He's smiling widely. I'm not sure what that hand signal means, but it must be profound. Something that really ticked the Gamemakers off. The Peacekeepers seem nervous too.

I bet it has something to do with the rebellion.

The green man's voice interrupts my thoughts, "Gizmo. Just Gizmo?"

"Yes. That's correct." he nods, his smile disappearing.

"Not much a family man?" he prompts again, looking expectant.

"Not much a family." Gizmo corrects, staring blankly out across the crowd. They seem like they're holding their breath.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I wasn't aware." the man pats Gizmo's shoulder softly, "Were they in an accident or just old age?" he ask, sounding empathetic.

"Didn't want me." he shrugs. I think this might be the first time a nearly six-foot tall, 16-year-old boy could get sympathy sponsors.

"That's a shame. What's not to love about a guy like you? Like this eye! It's a real piece of work. Is it a help or a hindrance in everyday life?" the man moves his hand around Gizmo's face, letting the mechanical eye follow it.

"Not much of either. Well," he pauses like he's not sure whether to go on, "I guess it is a problem in normal life. I'm kind of a freak back home. But you understand why that would be."

"Poor guy!" he turns to the audience, "Just pulls at your heart strings, don't it?" They answer with loud calls. I catch an 'I love you' and 'You're not a freak.' The buzzer goes off and Gizmo goes back to his seat.

Pike's partner, Mariana, walks forward, smiling wickedly. She mostly focuses on trying to seem like a weakling. She talks softly, leaning towards the announcer like she's trying to hide behind him. That works for small girls from odd districts. Not for a Career.

Pike's next. I block out most of his interview. The pieces I catch are about how he's ready to rip people limb from limb. I avoid looking up at the screen. I finally glance up and regret it. All I see is the flash of teeth and a chill runs up my spine.

The next few run together, just like every time. The girl from 5 passes out in the middle of her interview and the boy only mumbles a few replies. The twins from 6 give the exact same answers. They almost seem like a match set.

Then Willow goes back up and I tune back in. "Willow…that's strange. Are you married?" the man looks over at Willow in slight shock.

"Yes. My husband, Ailanthus, and I have a two-month-old son." she nods. There are sighs from the crowd.

"So, what's it like leaving a son at home to come to the Hunger Games?" he leans towards her.

"Sad. I really miss them both. But I know that even if I don't make it home, he will be well taken care of. All of the people of District 7 have been so supportive during all of this drama with my marriage and my son being born. There will be plenty of people to make sure he grows up to be strong." she smiles dreamily. People are cheering in the crowd. I feel sorry for her. I think of how much I miss my sisters. It must be so much worse for her with her son.

"That's so touching." the announcer looks like he's on the verge of tears. The cheering gets even louder. I can barely hear the buzzer as it goes off. Willow bows to the crowd and trades places with Pinyon. He just nods or shakes his head, never giving a verbal answer. I'm not sure anyone cares. They're all focused on Willow's interview.

The District 8 girl seems to use the fact that she's a girl to her advantage. She's wearing a strapless dress that barely passes her butt. The announcer seems too caught up in this to ask anything of importance. The boy's responses all revolve around the girl. He's totally mesmerized by her. The twelve-year-olds from 9 both mumble answers and end up breaking into tears. The eighteen-year-olds from 10 tell their life stories to the unenthusiastic crowd. I think a few of them are even asleep.

Amilyn jumps to her feet, skipping over to the announcer.

"Amilyn Seins. Now this girl's the talk of the town. Tell me, Amilyn, what was going through your mind when you told off your sister?" the man looks at her excitedly.

"Exactly what I said. What does it change if she's here instead of me? She's better with knitting and cooking and all of that stuff that will really help at home. I'm almost worthless. They need her there. I'm disposable." Amilyn smiles through her entire speech. The part she leaves out is that she's better at finding edible roots and plants in the meadow. She's stronger from years of carrying water and newborns. She's better at healing cuts and scraps. She does have a better chance of survival here than her sister.

"Disposable? A pretty face and a bright personality? That's disposable in District 11?" the man ask in shock.

"It's useless for work." she shrugs, "You have to be able to work or you die."

"But surely the boys back home are more than happy to work twice as hard as long as they can come home to you." he looks down at her.

"Well, I've never really liked any of the boys back home and I don't think any of them really like me like that." she blushes, shifting from foot to foot.

"You don't have your eye on any of them? So you're free?" he winks coyly at the crowd. They cheer loudly, calling to her. I have to force myself to stay in my seat.

"Well, not really." she mumbles, getting even redder. The cheering stops.

"So you do have boy?" the announcer raises an eyebrow.

"It's hard to explain. I have a boy I like but I don't think he feels the same way as me." she rambles quietly.

"But I thought you said you didn't like any of the boys at home?" the man looks around, confused.

"He's not at home." she mutters. The man rounds on me in shock.

"Krow! Your district partner? I had no idea." he smiles widely.

"No! No, eww. No. Krow's like my big brother." she shakes her head wildly.

"So it's one of the other tributes?" the man ask. She nods as the buzzer sounds. The crowd goes crazy, screaming for her to explain. "Now, now. You know the rules. Next up is Krow Haliss!" Amilyn walks to her spot as I stand. I walk forward, feeling slightly tipsy. "Krow! What do you think of this new development with your partner, Amilyn?"

I shrug, "It's up to her." I tell him quietly, staring above the crowd. I try to slow down my heart rate.

"No worries about who she might be in love with?" he raises an eyebrow at me. I simple shake my head, crossing my arms. "Any one you hope it might me?" he tries again. I shrug, trying to keep from looking at anything in particular. There's silence for a moment. "So, with you. Who was that lovely lady you where seen with at the Reapings?" the man winks at me.

"Jay's sister, Shrike." I tell him. I was expecting this one. I have a whole set of answers ready for anything he throws at me about Shrike.

"The knight in shining armor! I see." he smiles, "So are you and this lady a couple?" I shake my head, ready for anything. "Oh. So are there other ladies in your life or is this one just playing hard to get?"

Anything but that.

I stop. No. Of course there aren't any other girls. I only love Shrike. She's my reason for living.

So why can't I stop picturing Ryven in my mind?

"Can we take your silence as a sign that there is another girl?" the voice brings me back. I'm not sure how long I've been standing here but the crowd looks like they're turning blue from holding their breath.

"No. There's no one else." I tell him quickly. My hand goes instinctively to my pocket where the flower's waiting on me. The buzzer sounds. I must have been standing there a long time. I return to my seat, more confused than ever.

The anthem plays and we all rise, filling back off the stage. We're escorted to the elevators by Peacekeepers. When we reach our level, a servant tells us that we're to report to our rooms where we'll eat alone tonight. I sit in the darkness, waiting. A small door finally flips open and several bowls of food appear. I eat quickly and replace the bowls., watching them disappear. The sun has gone down outside and I know that I need to sleep. But I'm too awake. Too confused. Too unsure. I walk to the door, deciding to go to Amilyn's room. I try it several times but it's locked. I sigh and return to my bed. I collapse and close my eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

_I'm standing in the middle of the fields. The wind is blowing, bring the scent of the meadow down to surround me. I breath deep, intent to take in as much of the aroma as possible. I hear laughing. I turn and see two children running towards me. It's a pair of boys with sandy blond hair. One has a pair of bright blue eyes. The other's are brown. They run past laughing. I sigh and smile. That's what life was like when I was little. Ry and I would race across the fields. I feel someone beside me. I glance over at the figure. Ryven turns and smiles at me before taking my hand. I smile back, watching the boys dance out of sight._

I sit up and blink in the sunlight. I try to make sense of the dream. The door opens and a servant comes in holding a simple tunic and pants. I walk into the bathroom and shower before I pull the clothes on. I feel a shiver run up my spine as I remember what today is.

The Hunger Games start today.

The servant leads me to the roof of the building. A hovercraft picks us up, shooting away from the building as soon as the door closes behind us. It's dark onboard. A shock runs through me and I can't move. I stand frozen as a woman crosses the room and shoves a needle in my arm. "Your tracker." she mumbles. It hurts as she presses the plunger and walks away. I rub my arm as the servant leads me to another room. Breakfast is waiting on me. I scarf down as much food as I can as the hovercraft slows. They let us out into a dark room. The servant gives me another set of clothes to wear. This will be the outfit the tributes all wear. It's thin and durable. Allows for movement. It doesn't feel like it will be much protection from any kind of weather. The man directs me to a small round spot on the floor. I stand on it as a glass cylinder surrounds me, keeping me from running. The plate lifts slowly as I rise to the arena.

I'm suddenly blind. The sun is so bright. It's not possible. I can barely make out hills and trees. I finally adjust to the light in time to see that I'm surrounded by snow. A voice booms above me, "Ladies and gentlemen, let the One Hundred and Thirty Sixth Hunger Games begin!"

**A/N: No one cares about the green man's name. No one likes him.**

**Just for reference, the interviews are only a minute long (they're slowly getting rid of them). They're not eating together thanks to Twill's stunt. And the servant in place of the stylist the day of the Games is thanks to Cinna's stunt over a hundred years ago.**

**Please review and growl at my failures. Thank you and see you later.**


	8. Explosive Start

**A/N: HunterofArtemis1136 - I enjoy long reviews. But more importantly, I want to say that I had this planned out before your review… Living hell would be fun. But the Capitol doesn't play around when they hate someone.  
****With that out of the way, thank you to everyone that's still reading and reviewing.**

**I'm also going to go ahead and give the warning, in less than two weeks (June 17th****) I'm leaving on my senior trip to Florida. I'm not being allowed to take my laptop. So, I'll be out of commission until (at the earliest) July 1****st****. I also won't be able to type any new chapters…so… yeah.**

**And I don't own Hunger Games. What gave you that idea?**

We stand waiting for a full minute, waiting for the gong to sound. I take the time to figure out my part of the plan. There are seven of us in our alliance. Twill, Dill, Amilyn, and Pinyon are the weakest. We need to get away from the rest as quickly as possible. All of the tributes are in a small circle only a few feet away from each other. The cornucopia is nowhere to be seen.

I can see Amilyn directly across from me. To her right is Gizmo. To my right is Twill.

So that's how it's set up.

On Amilyn's other side is Pinyon. Just like on my other side is Willow. I can see Dill just a few people away from Willow. She nods to me and turns to face Dill. She'll go get him while I get Twill. We can meet up later. Right now, we need to get away. I wait for the gong.

Time seems to slow down. I stand for an eternity, waiting. I lower my head and prepare. It sounds and I take off. The snow is thick. I have to wade through it towards her. She moves to walk towards me.

My ears are ringing as I sit up in the snow. The area in front of me is blackened. My entire front hurts. I force myself up as the pain shoots through me. Most of the tributes have stopped to stare at me. I look for Twill. I can't see her.

But the bare, blackened spot in front of me is where she should have been.

No.

I can hear people screaming. One of them sounds like Amilyn. I think the other is Willow. But I can't hear much from my right side. Something is leaking out of my ear. It might be blood. I stand in shock. A figure makes me look up. The fist connects with my face, knocking me backwards. My ear throbs even worse. It feels like my head might split open. I look up and I'm staring straight at Glam.

She smiles wickedly, "Looks like the Bloods are down by one."

I roll away as she aims a kick at me. The snow burns as I scramble away on my hands and knees.

"You look so weak like that." she laughs behind me. I stand and look for the others. Most of the other tributes have disappeared. The only ones left are Pike, who's pinned someone into the snow, slamming his fist down on them.

So I'm on my own.

I run from the circle. I don't know where I'm going, but I have to get out of here. It hurts to move. I try to keep from falling over, but my balance is off. The vision in my right eye is blurry.

I can here a roaring. I can't tell where it's coming from with my bad ear. I glance back. Glam is still chasing me.

"Don't by such weakling! Just take your death and get over it!" she screams, starting to gain on me. My legs hit water and I stop.

I'm staring down at a valley. It's farther down than my walk to the fields every morning. The roaring is coming from my left. The stream I'm standing in tumbles off the side of the mountain.

"Nowhere to go, birdie." Glam laughs from the shore. She bends down and picks up a rock, turning it over in her hand, "If you hold still, I'll try to make this fast." she smiles as she looks up at me, "Maybe."

I look around. I can't die yet. I promised to bring Amilyn back. I'm not going to die on the first day. I wade towards the falling water. I can make out some cussing from the shore followed by a splash. I stand next to the edge. I could go over. I don't know what's down there. The splashing is getting louder.

"Just give in. Make this easier on everyone." Glam yells over the crashing water, "You stupid bird!" she stops as her body jerks. I'm struggling standing in the current. She's lighter than me so it must be much worse.

I want to tell her to go back. If she goes under, she might never come up. I've seen it happen before in the stream behind my home in District 11.

Instead she takes another step towards me, pausing to rework her footing on the streambed. I turn towards the edge. I have to move or else we're both going over.

Let's see if I can fly.

I let my legs drop out from underneath me. The current pulls me under the water as it rushes for the side. I force my way to the surface, gasping at the shock of the freezing water. Glam's rock flies past my head. I can't hear anything over the water, but when I turn back, I can tell that she's screaming at me.

Then all I see is sky.

It's an amazing feeling, falling into nothingness.

I tumble through the water. I can't tell what's up or down. All I can think about is Amilyn. I promised to get her home. It's up to Gizmo and Willow to save her now.

My body suddenly stops. Pain shoots up my spine. The air in my lungs is forced out. I sink into the water slowly. I let my eyes shut slowly. I can see Ryven in my mind, smiling and laughing, holding out her hand for me. I reach out and take it. I feel the hand pull me up as my mind goes black.

**A/N: …  
****You see that little review button down there? You see it? You see it? You see it?  
****…**

**You should press it.  
****:D**


	9. Waking Up for You

**A/N: Hello again. I'm sorry that this took awhile. Things with writing on the Florida trip didn't go as planned. Yeah… But it was still fun.**

**And again, thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story and everyone who's reviewed. I'm really excited that the story's closing in on twenty reviews. Yeah, I'm a dork like that. XD**

**I don't own the Hunger Games. I'm pretty sure we've been over this before.**

_I jerk up and look around. It completely dark. The sun must have not come up yet. I try to stand and my legs feel like lead. I let out a loud sigh and freeze. I can't wake my sisters. They need their sleep. I turn and search for them in the gloom but I can't make out anything in the dark. I force myself up with a low grunt. It hurts. Everything hurts. I let out a cough as I feel some pressure on my chest. I shake my head and move towards where the door should be. But I just keep walking. I hold my hands out to find the wall but there's nothingness._

"_Mom?" I whisper into the dark. A chill runs up my spine as my voice cuts through the silence, "Mom, can you hear me? Are you there?" I call again, louder. My voice echoes back to me. I feel my heart begin to race but that just makes everything hurt worse._

"_Hather? Kerin? Vende?" I turn and call back into the room._

_The only answer is my echo._

_Then I'm falling, freefalling like when I jumped off the waterfall._

_The waterfall. That's right. I'm still in the Hunger Games. I should be taking care of Amilyn. I slam into a glass floor and it shatters around me sending stabs of pain through my entire body. My fall slows until I'm lying down again. This time I don't try to move. I just lay on my back as my body convulses. I can't stop it. I can't do anything. I feel something oozing up out of my throat. My entire body goes stiff and cold numbness creeps into my limbs. I welcome the painlessness. I let it take me over with a smile._

_I sit up again in the darkness. I let out a low moan as the pain hits me again. Tears drip down my face as I try to stop the pain that's returned._

"_Help. Please. Anyone. Help me." I whimper. I can't move my legs this time. I can't see anything. I can't hear anything. It just hurts._

"_Krow!" a voice screams. My eyes jerk up as I look for the voice. "Krow!" it calls again._

"_Help me!" I scream back, doubling over, my voice raspy and frail._

"_Krow! Hold on! KROW!" the voice jumps an octave as I feel a pair of fingertips reach out and brush past my cheek like a hand's reaching out to me. I try to reach for it but the numbness washes over me and pulls me under._

"_No!" I try to fight it but I can't stop the cooling painkiller._

_I open my eyes again, but I know I'm not alone. I know because I can hear crying._

"_Krow…no…don't die…not there." the voice cries._

"_I'm not dead yet." I force myself up, gasping at the pain that shoots up my spine._

"_Krow?" the voice stops short, "You're…alive." the voice gasp as a pair of hands reach out to steady me._

"_Who are you?" I ask the voice as the smaller form hugs me._

"_Krow. Please wake up." the voice begs, "You have to wake up. You have to live and come home to me."_

"_Who is this?" I ask again, feeling something tugging at the back of my mind._

"_Who do you think it is?" the voice whispers, standing tall and placing a kiss on my cheek. My mind goes haywire. "Now wake up, Krow. You have to wake up for me." The tugging in my consciousness has got more persistent. I feel the figure let me go and the pain returns._

"_Wait! It hurts!" I cry out as I'm forced to my knees, "Don't leave me here alone!"_

"_I'm always right here, waiting for you." the voice whispers as I pass out._

My eyes flicker open. I'm sitting in a small, dimly-lit cave. I listen carefully and I can hear voices. I sit up and my head swims. Nausea sweeps over me as I roll onto my side, emptying my stomach.

"Sounds like Krow's awake." a voice outside mumbles.

"Poor kid." a feminine voice answers. Shadows flow over the floor where my breakfast is reappearing.

"Hey, Krow." a face leans down as the first voice kneels a few feet away from me. I glance over as the retching stops for a moment. It's Dill. Willow stands at the mouth of the cave, her hand over her mouth. Their clothes are torn and dirty. Willow's hair is a large tangled mass and Dill is sporting a few extra cuts and bruises. I turn my head back over as more bile comes up.

"We have to do something." Willow's voice is worried.

"Just let him get over this and we can move him." I hear Dill stand again, walking back towards the entrance.

My stomach finally stops clenching and push myself up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I stare at the entrance of the cave where Willow and Dill sit.

"Feeling better?" Willow turns to me from her spot. She moves towards me, smiling weakly.

"Yeah, a little." I nod my head slowly. My vision goes hazy with the motion. It feels like there's a wall of nothingness on my right side. I'm almost scared to reach up and touch my ear. It's tender but it's still there.

"We were getting really worried about you." Willow's voice is little more than a whisper. I have to turn my head to the right to hear her. I pause for a moment as something begins to occur to me.

"How long was I asleep?" I turn back towards her. Dill is looking at us now. Willow turns her head away from me and a chill runs down my spine. "Willow." she flinches at her name. She turns her back towards me, her face sad.

"Three days." she breathes.

I can't think. It doesn't seem possible. I swore to protect Amilyn and I've been asleep for three days.

"Krow, it's not your fault. Those burns are really bad. It was dangerous enough to move you all the way here from the lake. There's nothing that any of us could have done to make you heal any faster." Willow reaches out and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Three days." I whisper. That's so much time. So much could have happened.

"Only seven deaths so far." Dill's voice is distant. I feel fear course through me.

Seven.

There where seven in our group. That's a huge group of tributes. That means that the chances that it was someone in our group is so much higher than any other. All I can thing about is that kid that Pike was beating into the ground and that blackened spot in front of me.

Twill's blackened spot.

My stomach goes up into my throat, making it hard to breath. I look at Dill but my vision's blurry. I breathing too hard. It hurts. Everything hurts. I flinch at the sudden weight on my shoulder.

"Krow, breath. It's alright. Calm down." Willow's voice is soft. I take a deep breath and hold it in. She finally nods and I let it out. I nod back, staring at the ground.

"Tell me everything." I mumble. I don't want to know, but I have to hear.

"Well, where do I start?" her voice wavers.

"The beginning." Dill whispers as he moves into the cave.

"Right." Willow lets out a shaky sigh, "Well, when the gong rang, I ran over to Dill. About halfway there, I got blown over. I remember standing and looking around to see what happened. And I saw you, lying there, not moving and Twill was…" she pauses and takes a deep breath. I nod my understanding and she nods back skipping the part that neither of us wants to hear. "So I just kind of started screaming. I couldn't move. It was just…too much." she swallows nervously, "So Dill grabbed my arm and just started running. Then we kind of…" she trails off again, looking over at him.

"I took us over a cliff." he frowns, staring at the entrance of the cave.

"A cliff?" I ask, shocked. They fell off a cliff?

"Yeah. But we were both fine. There was snow at the base so we didn't get hurt or anything. And we stood up and right there, in front of us, was the Cornucopia!" she moves her arms out wide like she presenting something. From the smile, I can tell that she's imagining the overflowing riches that the Gamemakers put in there.

"It was hidden this year?" I question. It seems odd that they would do something like that. They have these things called the Quarter Quells where they do things like that. I don't think this is a Quarter Quell. But I'm not sure what those are to begin with.

"Nah. It was just down at the bottom of the mountain. There probably wasn't room for it up where the tributes were." Willow shakes her head, throwing her long hair around, "So we grabbed a few things since the other tributes weren't down there yet." she motions to a pair of dusty green backpacks at the side of the cave, along with a bow and arrow and an axe. "When the others started our way, we took off. We were almost out here into the wastelands when Dill asked about a roaring noise. I hadn't really noticed since it wasn't that loud but I guess it's a little louder for you…" she trails off uneasily, looking over at Dill again.

"Just a little." he mumbles.

"Anyway…I look around and saw the waterfall. About that time, you jumped." she frowns, tilting her head to the side.

"Glam." I mumble, remembering the girl holding a rock, threatening me.

"Right. Well, I jumped in and dragged you back to the shore. We kind of made this little makeshift sling and brought you back here. The next day, I went over to the forest and got some plants for burn medicine and that's really all that's happened since the first day. We've just been hiding out here, trying to get you to wake up." she shrugs like it's nothing strange. It seems like they would have had more trouble. The Gamemakers must be more interested with someone else for now.

"Who's…died?" I force myself to ask. There are seven dead tributes. I need to know who.

"Well, both of the kids from District 5, the boy from District 8, and the girl from District 10 all died on the first day. And then the twins from District 6 died yesterday. So far, no cannons today." Willow refuses to look at me.

"That's only six." I tell her under my breath. I count them again in my head. I can count to twenty-five. It just one of the very few things you learn back home.

"And…Twill died…the first day." she finally mutters out. Dill stands suddenly, grabbing his backpack and bow and arrows.

"Well, we said that once Krow was awake we'd move. So let's go!" he storms out of the cave, never looking back at us.

"He's not taking it too well." Willow tells me quietly.

"I don't blame him." I know from experience what it's like to lose someone you love. I couldn't imagine losing the person I've given my heart to. I don't think I could go on if I lost Shrike.

Or Ryven.

I'm drawn back to the dream. _'Who do you think it is?' _Do I really know who that would be?

"Do you think you can stand?" Willow's voice brings me back. I nod and force myself up. It doesn't hurt as much in the dream but it sends spasms through my body. I stand up straight, letting out a heavy sigh.

"We better catch up to him." I head out the cave mouth, trying to limp as little as possible. My shirt's completely burned off in front so now it's more of a jacket. Luckily my pant's are mostly undamaged. They're cut off at the knees just like Dill and Willow's. I can tell that my entire chest is wrapped in a rough cloth. They must have used the legs to make the bandages. My chest hurts but it's not as bad as it was before.

I blink in the sunlight, pausing before I walk over and join Dill. We stand and wait for Willow. She joins us, casting one last glance at the cave. She sigh and nods for us to go. I nearly jump out of my skin when the cannon goes off. I look at my companions to make sure it wasn't one of them.

"That makes eight." Dill mumbles under his breath, setting off towards the edge of the wastelands.

**A/N: Who do you think it is? X3  
****That's what happens when I listen to music while I think…**

**But anyway, thank you for reading and review…perhaps?**


	10. Monster in the Dark

**A/N: Greetings. Sorry this took awhile. I've been trying to figure out how to lengthen this since it can't be non-stop action and violence. I really don't want to fall to, "Then we walked for two hours. We stopped by some trees and ate lunch. Then we walked some more." Soooo, there will be fluff. Not a lot, but some. In the next few chapters you can expect to learn some about the other's past, some Krow soul-searching, Dill's emo rant about the Hunger Games, and the butchering of an innocent bystander followed by in-fighting.  
****Don't you just love it?  
****I'll try to throw in a couple extra maiming, just to keep thing interesting. XD**

**I don't own Hunger Games…yeah, I've run out of clever things to say.**

I feel my legs collapse beneath me. The ground comes up and meets my knees as I let out a quiet grunt. I reach out a shaky hand and try to push myself up against a tree.

"Krow…if you need to take a break, it's not a problem." Willow kneels beside me, her eyes wide. A break actually sounds wonderful, but I know that they've already done so much for me. They didn't have to take care of me, but they did. I'm not going to slow them down now.

"No. I'm fine." I shake my head and push myself up, a spark of pain shooting up my spine. I let out a shaky breath and start walking again, trying to catch up with Dill.

"You really shouldn't push yourself if you don't feel good." she catches my arm and stops me, "Let's just take a quick break. It won't hurt you to eat something." I nod and let her force me down onto the roots of a tree.

We've been walking since about noon, if you can trust the sun here. I'd judge that it's been five or six hours since. It didn't take very long to get out of the wastelands and into a small meadow. There was a lake right in front of us with more meadow on the other side. From there, I could see the Cornucopia. It looked like the Careers had taken it over. To the right was the mountain with the waterfall that I jumped off of. On the other side was a huge forest. , the very same forest that we're wandering through now. I've tried to stay as quiet as I can but I'm not used to walking around the woods. I feel like more of a hindrance than a help.

"Let me put some more medicine on your burns." Willow reaches into her backpack and pulls some leaves and a pair of rocks. She sets to work grinding the plants as Dill draws an arrow and stands at guard.

"Thank you for everything." I mumble to them.

"It's not a problem." Willow finishes as she looks over at me with a smile, "You're our ally, remember?" she leans forward and begins to peel the bandages off. I dig my fingers into the ground as she rips off some of skin that's begun to heal. "Sorry." she says quietly as she finishes and begins to rub the salve on the burns. It's cooling and numbs the pain. I feel my shoulders relax as I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Willow begins to rewrap the bandages.

"Feel better?" Dill asks, never dropping his guard.

"A lot." I sigh, leaning back against the tree. My stomach lets out a loud growl that makes me sit up straight.

"I don't blame you. You haven't eaten since the first morning, right?" Willow giggles, reaching back in the backpack to replace the stones and leaves.

"Here." Dill slips off his pack quickly and tosses it to Willow. She rummages through it, pulling a loaf of bread and some dried meat out. My stomach growls again as my mouth starts watering.

"Do you want any, Dill?" she questions, ripping a small piece of bread off along with a piece of meat.

"No. We don't need to eat more than is entirely necessary." he shakes his head, doing a quick sweep of the clearing.

"Here, Krow." she passes the food to me. I force myself to take slow bites and chew the scraps, trying to make it last longer.

"If you're still hungry, I can sneak you a couple more pieces." Willow whispers, winking at me when Dill's back is turned.

"My hearing is a lot better than you think." Dill calls without turning around.

"Well, he hasn't eaten in three days. What do you want to do?" she sighs heavily, rolling her eyes.

"Save that food as long as we can and then I can shoot a bird or something." he responds. I finish off the meal, feeling like I do everyday of my life, a slight gnawing in the pit of my stomach. I can deal with that.

"I'm fine." I assure the two others.

"Are you sure?" Willow pouts at me, reaching out to press a hand to my forehead, "You're not going to be of any use to anyone if you're too weak to function."

The words tug at my memory. It was less than a week ago when someone else scolded me for not eating.

"_You didn't eat, did you?" she scolds me, leaning down to press her hand against my forehead, "You're not going to be any use to your family if you're too weak to work."_

Ryven.

"I'm fine. Just a little worn out after running up here to help you." I mumble with a smirk.

"What?" Willow pulls her hand away like I tried to bite her.

"What?" I sit up. The memory's gone. I'm not back in District 12. I'm in the Hunger Games. I'm not leaning against Ryven's plow. I'm sitting at the base of a tree. Ryven's not leaning over me, worrying over me. It's Willow, my ally, my friend.

"You just said something about running up to help her." Dill looks over at us, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh. Sorry. I was…thinking about someone else." I stare at the ground, dragging my finger through the dirt.

"That girl from the Reapings? What was her name…Shrike?" Willow smiles at me knowingly.

"No." I answer without thinking.

"No!" Willow's face goes blank, "You mean you're flirting with someone else?"

"What? No! It was just one of my friends." I shrug, running my finger back and forth.

"Who?" Willow pries, her face bright as she leans forward.

"Amilyn's older sister, Ryven." I shrug again, "She's been my best friend since we were kids. We grew up together." I explain quickly.

"Oh." Willow sits back, looking up at the sky, "I understand." she nods as she looks over at Dill, "Do you think it's safe to stay here for the night? It looks like it will be dark soon." she asks.

"Yeah. I can't hear anyone close." he nods back and walks over to sit beside us.

"But you can hear people around us?" I raise an eyebrow at him, confused.

"I heard someone stumbling around over there. They were headed for us but then they turned and when the other way." he paused, tilting his head to the side, "They collapsed." he mumbled, looking out into the forest, "Sounds like they're pretty beat up. Nothing to worry about." he shakes his head.

"Well, we have to help them." I slowly push myself up.

"Why?" Dill looks up at me.

"Because they're hurt." I narrow my eyes as I glare down at him.

"This is the Hunger Games. Every man for himself." Dill frowns at me.

"They could be one of our _allies_." I draw the word out, "Or have you just forgotten about them?" I turn and start off in the direction he had look out at.

"No. I haven't. It didn't sound li-" he stops suddenly and jumps to his feet. I freeze in mid-step looking back at him.

"What is it?" Willow whispers, her eyes wide.

"Don't go over there." he breaths, "Don't go into the woods." his face twists into a look of horror.

"What is it?" I repeat Willow's question.

"It's…" his face wrinkles as he bends over, clamping his hands over his ears, "Just don't go our there."

"H-help." the voice is weak and hoarse, "S-someone, anyone." the voice calls from the woods. Then it screams.

I look at Willow before I take off into the darkening woods. I rush through the undergrowth, weaving my way to the screams. The voice is begging again, this time for someone to kill them, to stop the pain.

A hand clamps down on my wrist and yanks back. The pain that shoots through my shoulder stops me.

"Krow. Stop." Willow mumbles, tugging me back towards the clearing. A cannon goes off and I know it's too late. I let her lead me back. I fall back against the tree with a grunt. The forest is dark now, dark and silent. Dill sits across from me, his arms wrapped around his legs as he leans his chin on his knees.

"Don't let it get to you." Willow tries to smile. I'm not sure if she's talking to me or Dill, who's shaking violently.

"What happened?" I ask him quietly. He shakes his head, hiding his face in the crook of his arm.

"Are we safe?" Willow questions, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. He flinches before looking up at us.

"Yeah. It's gone now." he answers in a shaky voice.

"What was it?" Willow rephrases my question, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"I-I'm not sure. Some kind of animal." he shakes his head again.

"Well, it's over now." Willow tells him quietly, squeezing his shoulders reassuringly.

Dill opens his mouth to reply when the anthem interrupts him. I look up into the sky, feeling my blood go cold.

I watch as the seal begins to fade. There where two death today. Two faces. One face melts into the second and then the seal appears. The sky goes dark but I can't breathe anymore. I can't process. It's just like when Twill died, but this time the ugly truth just glared down at me from the sky. Nothing seems right anymore. Everything moves in slow motion. Pain floods my entire body followed by a freezing numbness.

Dill starts to ask who died but his shaky voice is lost in Willow's screams.

**A/N: …**

**Don't worry. You'll find out who died next chapter. X3**

**Please review and tell me who YOU think died. ;)**


	11. Silence

**A/N: Hmmm… Sorry. I've been brain-dead for a few days and then I had to COMPLETELY rewrite Willow's story because I screwed the crap out of it. ^^; Sorry about that.**

**To the people who reviewed, thank you for reviewing. You make me feel special. And the two who reviewed guessing who died. One of you is half right and the other is correct but vague…does that make any sense? Maybe it will later.**

**I don't own the Hunger Games. Just a copy of one of the books.**

"Aspen! No! I'm sorry!"

I glance over my shoulder for the hundredth time. I can't see much in the gloomy dark of the forest so I just nudge Willow forward a little faster. She screams again and takes two steps before she collapses to her knees.

"Aspen!" she screams again, reaching her hands up to the sky.

"Willow. Get up. We have to keep moving." I beg her as she lets out a feral howl. She bends over, one forearm pressed into the dirt as she hides her face in the crook of her elbow. The other arm slams the ground as she cries.

"No! It can't happen! No!" her calls are muffled by the dirt. I look over at Dill for help. He lets out a heavy sigh before he strides over to her.

"Willow." he says softly. She ignores him and continues to beat the forest floor. "Willow." he repeats louder. Her body convulses as she lets out another set of screams. "Willow!" his hand shoots down and grabs a handful of her hair, forcing her head back. Her blurry eyes tried to focus on his face through the tears. He tightens his grip and she lets out a pained cry. I move forward but he put up his other hand to stop me.

"Aspen!" she screams again. Dill covers her mouth with his hand, shoving part of his palm in between her teeth.

"Bite down and keep quiet." he growls. Her jaw clenches in response as Dill lets out a low hiss, "Now get up and let's move." he orders, tugging on her hair to pull her up. She issues a low whine but complies, standing on shaky legs.

I glance around the clearing as we stop. It's well protected by a thick ring of trees and bushes.

"Okay, the last two that were following us have given up and gone back the way they came." he turns and faces Willow, "Can you replace my hand with yours?" he ask her quietly. She nods in understand as he removes the mangled appendage. She clamps down on her own hand, drawing blood almost instantly.

"I'm sorry." she mumbles through her palm, her eyes glued to the bloody mess she's made of his hand.

"It's fine." he turns away, dropping his backpack. Willow mimics him, fishing out the handmade bandages with her free hand. A line of blood drips down her wrist and through the dirt that's still plastered to her forearm.

I take the bandages from her and walk over to Dill's side. He holds out his hand and I carefully wrap it, trying to focus on what I'm doing. Dill hands me Willow's axe. I hold it for a moment, confused.

"To cut the bandages." he explains slowly. I nod and saw off the rest of the fabric. It looks like it will be just enough for Willow's hand if she ever calms down enough to take it out of her mouth.

We sit in the clearing in silence. Dill glances over at Willow every few minutes, wincing. I feel helpless. I lean back and stare up at the sky. It will be morning soon. We need to get some sleep if we're going to start moving again tomorrow.

"Willow. Dill. You two go to sleep. I'll take first watch." I offer. Dill agrees silently and leans back, resting his head on his backpack. He's asleep the instant his head touches. Willow rubs away some new tears and lays on her side, clamping down on her hand one more time before she falls into an uneasy sleep.

I look at the sky again. Those two faces. Pinyon and the little twelve-year-old girl from nine. That's nine tributes that will never see their families again. That's one more dead in our alliance. I shiver at the thought. Pinyon should have been with Gizmo and Amilyn.

Did he get separated from them?

Did something happen to their part of the alliance?

Is anyone protecting Amilyn?

I sit forward and rub my face. I have to find Amilyn. I can't trust anyone else to take care of her. I have to protect her. I swore to get her home and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Even if that means I don't.

I think of my family, my sisters, my mother. They're all counting on me coming home. Would the forgive me if I gave up my life to give Amilyn hers? How would they get by without me? Surely Amilyn would give some of her winnings to help them. I know she would. She's kind like that. And then Ryven and her family would never have to worry about money or food ever again. They'd all be well taken care of. I can't help my smile.

Ryven.

I think of all the times I've imagined my future life with Shrike. Never once have I thought of what would become of my best friend in the future. She never got a part in my fantasies. Not even as a good friend that came over every now and then. I guess I always figured that she would grow up and marry someone and stay home to take care of the family.

But that doesn't really fit Ryven.

I let out a low snicker as I imagine Ryven caring a baby on one hip and a wooden spoon in the other hand, yelling at the older children to sit down and finish their supper or they'll never grow up big and strong.

That would be her. The toughest mom around just like how now she's the strongest girl I know. But I know that she has a soft side too. I can remember her holding baby Swen when we buried her mother. I remember she was crying. I went over and gave her a hug because it was the only thing I could think of. Then I told her that it was all going to be fine and that my family would help her. She nodded and looked down at Swen.

"_You're going to grow up to be big and strong like Krow. You're going to be a good man like him. And I'm going to make sure of it. Just wait little brother. I'm going to be a good momma to you."_

It was so moving to hear her say that. I know that it shocked a lot of the adults there. Before then, they had been planning to just ship the whole group off to the orphanage. It didn't seem like much then but I remember feeling that I need to say something, to make it more real.

"_And I'll help. The two of us will make sure you grow up in a real home."_

I think that's what pushed the others into making sure that the family stayed in their house with Ryven to take care of all of them.

A real home.

A real home with all of his siblings there and plenty of food on the table.

That's what I'm doing for him to make sure he grows up right. That's me fulfilling that promise.

A noise makes me look over across the clearing. Willow sits up, pulling her hand from her mouth.

"Feeling better." I mumble to her, worried about Dill waking up.

"Too many nightmares." she crawls over to my side, "Can you bandage this for me?" she holds her hand out to me.

"Yeah." I grab the roll and begin to wrap it as she wipes away new tears. I don't know if it's safe to ask but the curiosity is gnawing at me, "So, who's Aspen?"

Willow flinches and holds still for a moment, "My son." she answers quickly in a hoarse voice, looking out into the forest.

"That's not who you were screaming to, was it?" I tie off the rough cloth, pushing my luck to the breaking point.

She answers with a shake of her head, pulling her knees up under her chin, staring away.

I leave it. I know that she doesn't want to talk about it. I don't want to push it. Besides, her hand just stop bleeding. I would hate for her to do some more damage to it because I pried into her life.

We sit side-by-side, watching the sky. I don't feel tired after my three day nap. The sun is just starting to peak up over the horizon, the light filtering through the trees. It seems like we're in some mystic world, far away from the starving Districts and the bloodthirsty Capitol and the Hunger Games. I let out a heavy breath as a feeling of renewal and safety washes over me. I soak it up. I know that a peaceful moment like this could be the last I have in my life.

Willow looks over at me and smiles, "Relaxing almost, isn't it? Hard to believe we're in the Hunger Games." I nod my agreement.

"It's hard to believe that something so beautiful exist in a place like this." I muse, returning her smile.

"You know, that's not the first time someone's said that to me." she whispers.

"Really? Who was the first?" I return my gaze to the beauty of the forest.

"Pinyon's brother, Aspen." she breathes. I turn back to her but she falls silent again. I wait until she finally sighs, "He was my best friend, almost my husband. Until the Hunger Games took him from me, three years ago."

**A/N: X3  
****Yes. It ends there.**

**The next chapter is …what's the term…Willow-centric? Anyway, it tells you about her past and how she ended up with not only a husband but a son at the age of 18.  
****That's the part that I had to completely rewrite. =/**

**Review and let me know what you think.**


	12. Sunrise Confessional

**A/N: I feel as if there are no words to say to make this delay okay. I'm not sure but about halfway through Mockingjay, any excitement I felt for the Hunger Games series just kind of…died.**

**I don't own the Hunger Games, but I do have my copy of Mockingjay.**

I sit and wait. Silence seeps through the forest. I can't help but look at her. Her eyes are rimmed red from crying and her face is weathered. She looks so much older than she did back at the Reapings.

That's when I remember something.

"Willow." I say quietly, afraid that if I talk too loudly, she might shatter.

"Yeah." the sound barely comes out. If I hadn't seen her mouth move, I'm not sure I would have known she'd spoken.

"Back at the training center, Pinyon said that he lived at home with his older brother." I whisper back. I see her flinch and she stands, pacing the clearing. I sit and watch her in silence.

She finally lets out a heavy sigh and sits back down beside me.

"He does." she admits, glancing around the clearing as if she's afraid someone might hear.

"But you just said-" I stop short at the look she gives me.

"Just because you come back from the Hunger Games, doesn't mean that you come back." she growls, a slight frown making its way onto her face, "Think about the victors from your District. What are they like now?"

I stop and think. Hava's…I don't know what she was like before, but she's not the same now. She's silent. Always. Just the mention of Bloods and Crypts sends her into spasms. No. She didn't come back.

But then there's Stalk. I would have never guessed that he was a victor if I'd never come to the Hunger Games. He seemed so normal.

"I don't know." I mumble back, "We only have two victors."

"We have six." she explains quietly, "They all changed." she sighs.

"I'm sorry." I give her a weak smile.

"It's not something to be sorry about. It's life." she murmurs into her hands, "I grew up in Victor's Village."

I stop and stare, my jaw limp. There's no way. That's for victors. That would mean…

"My grandfather won the Hunger Games when he was sixteen." she shakes her head. "He just died four years ago." she looks over at me, "That's why my parents were so intent on me marrying. But I couldn't just marry any boy from the District. I had to marry a victor."

"But…why?" I ask breathlessly.

"I don't know what it's like in District 11 but in District 7, money is power. I grew up in a home with plenty of food and money. My family is one of the three most influential in District 7." she mumbles into her knees, "The other two are Pinyon and Ailanthus' families."

I stop and think. Money. Yes. That's what makes life move back home.

"Pinyon's grandfather, Ailanthus' grandmother, my grandfather, and then Ailanthus' grandfather won four back to back Games in that order. I don't think it's ever been done before or repeated since." she gives a shaky laugh.

I sit shocked. I can't think. My brain shuts down as I watch her. Four back to back Games by one little group of people from District 7?

"Aspen and I were best friends. We grew up together since he was only two years older than me. And…I really think I loved him." tears begin to leak from her eyes as she stares at her feet.

"Willow…I'm sorry." I can't think of anything else to say. I watch her silently as she wipes the droplets from her face.

"Ailanthus was seven years older than me, so we didn't spend much time with him. His grandparents died a few years back and he had to go into the Games himself under strict orders from his father. Didn't want to turn into one of the worthless poor of the District, I guess." she shakes her head, "My parents refused to let me enter the games so I was forced to marry rich."

"That's why you married Ailanthus?" I question, trying to understand.

"Yes. I tried to convince them to let me marry Aspen but his grandfather died when he was two. They reverted to working in the forest to earn money, saving what they had. But it wasn't enough to continue their expensive life style." she lets out a shaky sigh, "That's why he entered the Games. So that we could marry."

I sit from a moment, thinking. Things aren't this complicated back home.

"But…he came back…different." she wipes her nose on her sleeve, "He didn't even know who his own brother was. He just spends his days sitting in his dark room, staring down at everyone walking on the street."

I wait for her to speak, unsure what to say.

"It's not that Ailanthus is a bad husband. He treats me well and I do really love him. He came back different too. He was distant and uptight before. Now he's loving and caring. He clings to what he has like it will disappear if he's not careful. But I can't even get near my best friend anymore, all because of some stupid rule my parents made up for me."

She starts to cry again. I sit with her, patting her back as I watch the sun slowly peek through the trees.

"Krow." her voice is tiny. I look over at her, waiting for her to finish. "C-Can I have a hug?"

I stare at her, startled. She glances my way, tears brimming in her eyes. I guess she can see the shock on my face because she shakes her head and presses her face back into her arms. I look up at the sky. Willow's my friend, but would Shrike ever forgive me if I hugged another girl?

I turn back to Willow. She's shaking as she cries silently. I let out a heavy sigh and lean over, patting her on the back.

"Hey, don't cry." I urge. I know I sound pathetic. My mind is racing for more to say but that's all that will come out.

She picks her head up again, offering me a small smile. I return it wearily. I nearly topple over backwards as she lunges at me, her arms curling around my neck.

"Thank you, Krow." she whispers into my ear. The tension in my shoulders starts to hurt. I let out another sigh as I let myself relax, my hands coming to rest on her back.

"Anything for a friend." I whisper back, smiling at the small orange orb that's finally cleared the horizon.

**A/N: Okay. Down to business. I know I haven't uploaded since last fall. As stated above, my love for the series died. I'm slowly getting it back in bits and pieces. The main thing that helped was a random review that showed up a few months back. I still have the notes to this story and everything so if there are people still reading after this epic break, I'll keep writing. The main thing also is that summer break is coming up after my first year of college. I should have more time to write then.**


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